How To Find A Hiccup
by Shnuckles
Summary: 5 years after the death of Scale Hiccup has built an empire. But, what happens when the king has been dethroned? Join Astrid and her friends as they try to find a beaten and broken Hiccup and destroy this new threat. {Sequel to 'The Legend of Scale'} {Some HiccupXAstrid}
1. Chapter 1- A Little Bit of Hope

A/N: _Hello everyone, if you're reading this then the chances are that you read my other story, 'The Legend of Scale'. If you haven't then I suggest you do, if you want to know what happened to Hiccup. This is the sequel of course and I have big plans for it. I might try to make it longer then 10 chapters this time._

_Now, I have to say that I am very surprised at the number of reviews I got on my last fiction. I only wrote 10 chapters, but got over 90 reviews! Thank you all so much for your support in the last installment. _

_This story takes place five years later, so everyone looks like they do in HTTYD 2. Don't worry, I believe I have a good reason as to why Hiccup hasn't come back to Berk, but, you'll have to read to find out._

_ENJOY _

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_How To Find A Hiccup_

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_Chapter 1_

_'A Little Bit of Hope'_

It's been five long years since Scale has passed, five long years of peace for all of the people in the archipelago. Well, almost everyone. Astrid Hofferson sat in Berk's new Dragon Training Academy with her head in her hands. She was currently trying to teach the mutton-heads that live on Berk how to ride and train dragons. Right now, the only students she had were three fully grown men and a fully grown woman. You think it would be easy to teach grown-ups something as easy as riding a dragon, heck, she learned in a day when she was just fourteen. But no, Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff and Fishlegs seem reluctant to learn. OK, Fishlegs is the only one who has a strong bond with his dragon, Meatlug, but the rest are a lost cause.

"Fire!" An order was given to a particular feisty nightmare. A stream of fire shot across the dragon training arena, people ducked and jumped out of the way as the blast hit the wall, leaving a large, black, scorch mark. Astrid and Fishlegs groaned and the twins just gave each other hi-five's, enjoying anything that caused a little bit of destruction.

This was day 10 of trying to learn how to bond with a dragon, it took forever for them to find enough dragons, since it seemed that all of the dragons who were following Scale were with Hiccup. Where ever he is. But, they don't stand still long enough to learn. The twins were wrestling along with their zippleback, Snotlout was in an argument with his dragon and Fish just sat in the corner of the arena talking to his dragon like it was some newborn baby.

"Guys'!" Astrid yelled, getting everyone's attention. "This isn't hard, if you all will just listen to me, then maybe we could actually get somewhere with dragon training." Snotlout rolled his eyes.

"The only reason you want us to ride dragons is so that we can help you look for Hiccup," he said. Astrid crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Of course that's why. Don't you guys want to see him, too?" The twins looked at each other, Snotlout looked off to the side and Fishlegs cast his glance to the floor. Astrid couldn't believe them sometimes.

"OK, so let me get this straight. You guys don't want to find Hiccup?" Astrid asked. Fishlegs looked into her cold, dead eyes, he quickly looked away.

"Well, Astrid," he said, "it's just that, well, you've already searched every island in the archipelago. I don't see what we're going to do differently then you." Fishlegs said with a shy and squeaky voice. Astrid slumped against the wall of the arena and slowly slid down it to a sitting position. Why did Hiccup never come back? Sure, some idiot shot him, but that was no reason to stay away. Astrid groaned, of course that's a good reason to stay away. He could be dead for all she knew, she shook her head. No. Hiccup was still alive and well, somewhere.

"Class dismissed," said Astrid, waving her hand toward the open gate. The group and their dragons left the arena, Astrid the last one to drag herself out. She mounted Stormfly and took off into the oncoming night. She remembered that Hiccup and Toothless loved to fly at night, she shook her head, she had to stop thinking about him. It wasn't good for her health. Still, she couldn't believe that Hiccup would stay gone all this time. He didn't even send a note to tell her where he was. He probably thought she hated him, for doing what he had done. No, that wasn't it, she told him how she felt the day he left. So, why didn't he come back?

It was a beautiful evening, the moon was just now peaking over the horizon. If you looked to the the opposite side you could see the last rays of the sun, slowly ducking away and out of site. Soon, stars littered the cloudless sky and Astrid knew she'd better head home. Someday, Hiccup would show. She was sure of it.

"Dinner's ready, dear," Phlegma said as Astrid stepped through the door. Stormfly had her own little stable beside her house, since she was to big to live inside. Astrid took a seat at the table, a fire roaring in the fire pit that was located in the middle of the downstairs. She sat there, her chin resting in her hand. Phlegma took one look at her daughter and sighed.

"You have to move on, Astrid," She said. Astrid said nothing, but knew she was right. It had been five, painfully long, years. Phlegma knew that she wouldn't let Hiccup go anytime soon, so, she tried a different approach.

"I'm sure Hiccup is alive and well." Astrid sighed.

"I know he is, and as soon as he shows his face I'm gonna kill him," Astrid said with a serious voice. Phlegma laughed.

"There's my Astrid." Astrid gave a weary smile and started to eat what her mother had placed in front of her. She was lucky, Phlegma was one of the few vikings that could actually cook. She sat down on the opposite side of her daughter with her own plate of food.

"Trader Johann will be docking tomorrow. I hear he's found this new client who sells him some of the most interesting artifacts and weapons," Phlegma was saying.

"Maybe Hiccup is his knew client," Astrid said jokingly, but deep down she hoped it was true. Phlegma chuckled.

"I don't see why not, he's supposedly not from the archipelago," she said. Astrid sighed, hoping. She knew she shouldn't get her hopes up, the chances were that they would get shot down, just like every other time.

The day was drawing to a close and Astrid lay in her bed. She looked at her dresser where a small blue box sat, holding something that Hiccup was going to give her, right before Scale decided to ruin everything. He'll be back, someday.

!-!

It was noon, still no sign of Johann. Astrid sat along with her friends and their dragons in the Great Hall. She wasn't really hungry, she was anxious as heck to find out whether or not Hiccup was Johann's new client.

"Astrid, you need to calm down," Fishlegs said. It was then that she noticed how jittery she was, with her foot tapping and her fingers drumming the table.

"Yeah, I mean, what are the chances that Hiccup is actually Johann's mystery client? Like, zero," Snotlout said, Astrid shot him a death glare. He went back to his food, but could still feel Astrid's eye's burning a hole through him. Tuffnut didn't understand something and he was about to make it known, but one look for Astrid made him shut his mouth, best not anger her more then she already was. A man who was working on the docks burst through the large doors of the Hall.

"Johann's here," he yelled. Astrid was the first one out the door and the first to make to the docks. She didn't know she could run that fast, she almost couldn't stop in time to avoid running into the old trader. But, the man was happy to see her none-the-less.

"Ah, young Astrid Hofferson. In a bit of a hurry aren't ya?" he said, "what may I do ya for? I have a ton of new weapons that I think will tickle you fancy." He chuckled as his hand swiped across the deck to show off all of his merchandise. Astrid could care less about what Johann had on his ship, she came here for information, not weapons. Although, maybe she could take a look at them later.

"Johann, sir, I understand that you have a new client, one who sells you some amazing weapons and trinkets," Astrid said. Johann seemed to go into thought.

"And where did you hear this information, my dear?" He said. Astrid just about lost hope again, right then and there. "Because, what ever your source is, it's right." The old trader laughed. Astrid groaned and folder her arms across her chest.

"So, who is he? Is he Hiccup?" she asked. Johann seemed a little reluctant.

"You know I can't give away my sources," he said. Astrid wasted no time in grabbing her ax and holding it at the mans throat. Trader Johann chuckled nervously. "Ah, well, I guess I can tell you, if you really must know. How about we discuss it over some lunch. I haven't eaten for three days. Lost most of me food in a storm." Astrid sighed, it was a start at least. She led him to the Great Hall.

They sat on the closest table as soon as they entered.

"Speak," Astrid said, Johann opened his mouth to say he hadn't gotten any a food. "Talk first, eat second." Johann sighed.

"Very well," he said, "what do you want to know."

"I want to know who's been selling you those fancy weapons,"

"Well, he's a young lad, 'bout the age of 15..." Astrid sighed, hope slipped from her once again.

"Oh, never mind then," she said. Johann was confused.

"Well, who did you hope it would be?" He asked.

"I was hoping it was... Hiccup," Johann knew exactly why Astrid wanted to know who he was buying from. He chuckled slightly and received a glare from Astrid. He shut up.

"What's so funny," she said.

"Well, this young fella is named Dane, Dane Haddock." Astrid eyes went wide.

"you mean..."

"Yep, this young lad said he was Dane Haddock, adopted son of Hiccup Haddock. The boy brings his masters creations from some place I know not where, and he sells them to me." Astrid almost laughed and skipped around the Hall like a little girl.

"So, you know where Hiccup is?"

"No, were you not listening? I said I don't know where the lad comes from, only that he rides a skrill to get to one of my trading posts. If you want to find Hiccup, you'll need to find Dane." Johann said. "Now, I'm going to get something to eat, I'm famished." With that, the trader got up from his seat and went to find some lunch. Astrid sat on the bench with a smile on her face. She had a chance to find Hiccup and, more importantly, he was alive!

She ran out of the Hall and to Stormfly. She wasted no time in getting on her and was soon off, looking for the other members of the academy. One by one she rounded them up told them to head to the arena, she had big news to share with them.

"Alright, Astrid, you dragged us all here. Now, spill the beans," Tuffnut said, Astrid couldn't contain her excitement. She rubbed her hands together and paced back and forth in front of the academy members, who were all lined up abreast with their dragons behind them.

"OK, guys, I have big, big news," taking a deep breath, Astrid continued. "GetonyourdragonsrightnowIknowwhereHiccupisandweregoingtofindhim," she said in one breath. The group just stared at her, having no idea what she had just said.

"Astrid, please, tell us again, but this time, not in less then a second," Fishlegs said. Astrid took another deep breath.

"Get on your dragons right now, I know where Hiccup is and we're going to find him," she said, much more calmly. The riders didn't seem to believe her.

"What?" she asked, "come on. Get on your dragons, lets go." They seemed reluctant, casting their glances everywhere but at her.

"Listen, Astrid, we know you really want to find him, but, he can't be found. You've tried for five years," Ruffnut said. Astrid looked at her with sorrowful eyes. No, now she knew a name of someone who knew where Hiccup was.

"Guys, Johann knows of someone who knows where Hiccup is. You have to come."

"Oh yeah, what's his name?" Snotlout asked.

"His name is Dane Haddock, adoptive son of Hiccup Haddock," she said, now it was their turn to get excited.

"So, you mean trader Johann knows of a kid who actually knows where Hiccup is?" Fishlegs asked, excitement was clear in his voice. Astrid nodded rather quickly and Fishlegs wasted no time in climbing on top of Meatlug.

"What are we waiting for?" He asked. Astrid wasted no time in climbing on top of her dragon, the other riders sighed in defeat and climbed atop of their dragons. At least they got to do something exciting and not their usual boring routine anymore.

"So, where do we go?" Snotlout asked as they were in the sky and flying away from Berk. Astrid face palmed herself.

"I... don't know," she said. The others groaned and turned back to the island to find Johann.

They landed in the middle of town, searching for the trader. He hadn't gone back to his ship yet, so he must still be in the Great Hall. Another realization hit Astrid, she hadn't even told Stoick or Gobber that Hiccup was alive and well and that she could find him.

"Guys', go get a map from Johann, I have to go talk to Stoick," Astrid called over her shoulder as she made her way up the hill to Stoick's house. Snotlout gave a thumbs up as they started to head towards the Hall. Astrid made it to the chiefs house in seconds, quickly knocking on the door.

The big burly man opened the door and Astrid almost hit him with her knocking. The years had done a number on the chief, his son leaving twice in such a short time had really left it's mark. His eyes seemed to have sunk back into his skull a little, along with bags under his eyes. His face had more wrinkles then it did and his beard was more white then red.

"What is it, Hofferson," said a weary chief. Astrid was all but hopping up and down with excitement.

"I know how to find Hiccup," She said. The chiefs eyes widened and he stepped aside to let the young woman in.

"OK, Astrid, I want you to tell me exactly how you know where Hiccup is," Stoick said as he and Astrid sat down at the kitchen table. She had only been in this house a handful of times, but she knew it used to be much more lively then this. Hiccup's leaving had impacted their lives more then anyone really thought.

"You know that Johann's been getting some shipment from a new client he's found?" she asked and Stoick nodded. Astrid had to force herself to retain a squeal. "Well, guess what the name is of that new client."

Stoick's eyes widened even more. "Hiccup?" Astrid shook her head, no.

"His name is Dane, but Johann said he pronounced himself this, 'Dane Haddock, adoptive son of Hiccup Haddock." Stoick just stared at her for a moment, but erupted into a jolly laughter that no one has heard in over five years. The burly man stood up quickly, his chair flying against the wall in the process.

"Well, what are you doing here then. Go find this Dane and bring Hiccup back," the chief shouted with joy.

"We are, sir, we just need to get a map from Johann, then we'll be on our way," Astrid confirmed. Stoick slapped his beefy hands together.

"Oh, boy! I wish I could come," he said, "but this chieftain thing wouldn't allow it." Stoick sighed as he grabbed his chair that was thrown against the wall and sat back down. "My boy's alive." Astrid nodded her head. She looked down at the table, Hiccup was alive and they knew how to find him.

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A/N: _The first chapter is finished! Thanks to my betas', mycove and NightshadeFromSweden. These two will be with me for the long hull, so this story should be more enjoyable then the last._

_If you fell like things are a bit slow in the beginning chapters, then I am sorry. Stick with me and this will be better then the last._

_And, yes, I introduced a new OC. Don't kill me, please! This wont be some OC adventure, but will be about Hiccup and how he got his life back in order and, hopefully, return to Berk._


	2. Chapter 2- Riker

A/N: _Chapter two brings up a subject that I didn't like, but I put it in nonetheless, because I thought it would be more believable. It involves the Walkers. I have more to say after the chapter._

_Due to school work, this will be the last chapter for a little while. Until then, enjoy the other amazing fanfics on this site! _

_ENJOY: _

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_How To Find A Hiccup_

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_Chapter 2_

_'Riker'_

A map was spread across a table in the Great Hall. Stoick, Gobber, Astrid, the twins and Fishlegs, along with Johann, loomed over it. Johann had his finger tracing the paths that he thought would be the best ones to take to get to Glorl.

Glorl was a small village all but unknown to the people of Berk. It was one of the last islands in the archipelago, located on the very outskirts of the cluster of islands. The people of Berk, save a few, have never even heard about the island, but were listening intently to what Johann had to say about it.

"Glorl is a fairly new island in which I trade with," Johann was saying, "but, the island isn't some wimpy little thing, some of the toughest people I have ever met live there. So, it would be wise to _not_ agitate them. I know they're not close to your own village, Stoick, but I wouldn't even think for a moment that they won't set sail and come over here to give you a piece of their mind." Stoick shot a glance over to the twins and Snotlout, the three smiled sheepishly.

"So, when do we leave? It seems like it'll be a three day trip at least," Astrid said. Johann shrugged one shoulder.

"Well, you can leave when ever you want, there is a checkpoint right here," Johann said, pointing to an island that was in between Berk and Glorl. "So, you should be able to get there by the end of the day, if you leave now. You guys have what you need?" Astrid and the academy nodded, they had packed just a minute before while Johann was shuffling through all of his maps to find the right one. "Right, well then I suggest you go. Thor's speed my berkian friends.

"Thanks Johann, we owe you one," Astrid said, shaking the mans hand.

"Anytime, Astrid. Tell 'Iccup I said hi," Johann said. Astrid smiled and nodded.

"I will." The riders saddled up their dragons outside and with a few good byes to and from loved ones, were off to Glorl.

They flew as long as their dragons could muster. Soon, their wings became tired and they started to lose altitude.

"Astrid, we need to land or else were going to have to swim to Glorl," Fishlegs said. Astrid knew he was right, that island Johann said would be a checkpoint should be coming up soon. Off in the distance, a small shape was taking form, gradually, it grew bigger. The island Johann had talked about showed up in front of the sinking sun.

The village on the small island welcomed them, Astrid thought they must have had experience with people on dragons. Has Hiccup been here?

"Ah, newcomers," A large man said. He was a little shorter than Stoick, but seemed to be just as strong and intimidating. His beard was long, shaggy and black. The viking sported the normal viking helmet with large horns coming out of the sides.

"You must be the chief," Astrid said. The man gave a mighty bellow that Astrid guessed was a laugh.

"Oh, come on, you can't say you don't recognize me," the stranger said. Astrid focused hard on the man's features. She shook her head, no.

"I guess you can't tell without the wings," the man said. Now, Astrid was even more confused.

"Riker, Scale Walker at your service, mam," Riker said. He held up a finger, telling her to hold on a second.

"Even an old man like me can pick up a few tricks," Riker said, within a moment, a large set of black wing sprouted out of the mans back. Astrid laughed and envelope the man in a hug. She hadn't seen her friend in five long years. She never realized how much she missed the odd, winged people, her mind has been on Hiccup ever since that unfaithful day.

"Riker! What are you doing here! I thought you'd be with Hiccup," Astrid said, taking a step from the man to get a better look at him. Riker seemed to grow sad, it was hard to tell what he was feeling. He was like Astrid, in a way, with how he showed his emotions. A crowd had gathered and Riker seemed to notice this for the first time. He quickly shooed them away.

He motioned the riders to follow him. Riker led them into the woods, the gang not really approving of it, but Astrid assured them that Riker could be trusted. They ended up in front of a large boulder, Riker asked for some help in moving it. The boulder was pushed away, revealing a large cavern, Riker ushered them inside.

It looked like the cove back on Berk, except rocks covered the ceiling and floor. There was still a pond like the cove on Berk, it was even fed by a small waterfall. Riker gave an order to the dragons who had been following. The lizards pushed the boulder back into place and waited for their riders outside. Riker and everyone else sat in a circle beside the pond.

"I have some... Unfortunate news, for you all," Riker said, moving his eyes around the group, the riders also glancing at each other.

"Wha- what do you... Mean?" Astrid asked, nervous that their journey would be cut short. Riker sighed.

"I... Don't know where Hiccup is," Riker said, "I can't see him through the Dragon Line anymore."

"Wait! Whats the..." Tuffnut began, but was cut off by a frustrated Astrid.

"What do you mean you can't see him?" she asked, an odd felling of sadness, frustration and anger. Riker sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Hiccup had learned to control the Dragon Line, he disconnected himself. I don't even know how to do that," Riker said. Astrid couldn't wrap her head around it, why would Hiccup not want to be found. What was so important for him to stay hidden?

"Something happened, Riker. And you're not saying," Astrid yelled, standing up with her arms folded across her chest. Riker groaned, Astrid would not like the news he was about to share.

"Sit down, Astrid, I'll tell you, but you have to promise to be rational, to control your anger," he said. Astrid sat down.

"Since when do I..."

"A lot," Fishlegs said, but regretted it when Astrid shot him a death glare. Riker shook his head.

"Hiccup is a great man and a great leader," Riker began, "he visited places that I have never known to exist. Most islands he couldn't help with the dragons, since he ruled most of them, but, he helped in other ways, like working in their forge and helping to build houses and what not. But, the thing he did most of all, was help hiccups, like himself, to get a better life. He gave them the choice to go and live on his island. A lot did."

"So, he kinda created an orphanage?" Fishlegs asked. Riker shrugged.

"Kinda," he said, "it was more like a home. He gave each kid a dragon so they could go and visit their family, but they lived on the island. When I was there they said that Hiccup gave them a life worth living. And, that was what Hiccup wanted." Riker laughed, remembering the time when he lived on the island.

"OK, OK, can you please tell us what happened to Hiccup? We get that Hiccup was a good guy, but we all want to know what _happened_ to him," Astrid said. Riker looked at the ground, not wanting look at the group before him. "Well..." Astrid prodded and Riker shook his head, there was no getting around this.

"Hiccup made a lot of friends, some of those friends were very highly ranked, some of them saw the power Hiccup possessed, and _one_ of those friends wanted it all," He looked at Astrid with a serious expression. "Hiccup has been dethroned, Astrid."

Everyone's eyes went wide. They looked among themselves, not fully believing and hoping that someone would give them something to clear things up. But, it was what it was, Hiccup the Dragon King, was no longer dragon king.

"Somehow," Riker went on, "Hiccup managed to get all of the children to safety. But, most dragons had to stay, for the new king could use the dragon line to find them."

"Some? Why not all the dragons?" Astrid said.

"Some dragons are very powerful in strength and will, those types of dragon can, also, control the dragon line. The only two people with dragons that can do that though are Hiccup and Dane," Riker said.

"Dane? Hey, that sounds like the kid we're going to go see," Tuffnut said. Riker shot Astrid a glance.

"You're going to go see Dane? How did you even hear about his name? He should be hiding away with Hiccup and the other rescues," The Walker said. Astrid gave him a questioning look.

"Dane has been selling merchandise, made by Hiccup, to a trader that goes to our island," she said. Riker stroked his black beard in thought.

"Why would Hiccup send his son to trade? That's giving the enemy a chance to find them. I have no doubt that the new King has spies littered across multiple islands looking for them. He knows that Hiccup is the only one who could stop him," Riker said, voicing his thoughts. The young adults didn't have an answer. Riker sat where he was, muttering to himself, 'why.'

"Do you even know who the new king is?" Astrid questioned. Riker shook his head.

"That's one of the worst parts, no one knows who he, or she, is," Riker said.

"OK, there is something that has been bothering me," Tuffnut said. Everyone, except Riker, groaned. "Why did our dragons have to stay outside?" Riker shook his head. He didn't even know the kid and could already tell he was an idiot.

"Those dragons are connected to the Dragon Line an..." Riker began, but was interrupted by the same idiot.

"And another thing, what in Thor's name is a 'Dragon Line'?"

"Every dragon is connected, we call that the dragon line. Those in power of the dragons can tap into it and see what they're seeing and hear what they're hearing," Astrid explained, "that is why the dragons are outside, so they don't hear or see us. That right, Riker?" He nodded.

"Now, onto the matter at hand, we still don't know why on earth Dane is out there, making himself known to the entire freaking archipelago!" Riker said, clearly agitated and confused. Fishlegs shrugged one shoulder.

"We'll find out tomorrow. We're on our way to see him," he said. Riker shook his head.

"You find him, you're going to make him take you to Hiccup and everything's perfect. That the plan?" Riker said. Astrid opened her mouth to speak, but Riker continued. "You find Hiccup, you'll lead the king right to them. Next thin you know, you wake up battered and bruised, laying in pile of bloody bodies." Riker stood up, his knees cracking. "You can not go looking for Hiccup. If he dies, we all die."

The Walker made his way to the large stone that was blocking the exit. He gave a loud call so that it would carry through the boulder. Moments later, the large rock was pushed away by the dragons, allowing the last few rays of sun to break through and pierce the dimness of the cave.

Walker headed back to the village, the dragons and riders in tow. They walked in silence, pondering over the information that was shared in the cave, old and new. Astrid wondered how he became chief and why he wasn't with Hiccup. She guessed it was because of the whole Dragon Line thing, maybe the new king could tap into Riker's dragon line... WAIT.

Astrid ran up to the old Walker (who was 25 in human years, but 540 in dragon years)

"Um, Riker, this may be a bad time to bring this up, but, can the new king tap into the Dragon Line and see what you're seeing and hear what you're hearing?" She said, Riker rolled his eyes and looked Astrid in the eye, but his expression changed when her words sunk in. It was like an explosion of realization went off. Suddenly, Riker took off, walking much faster, his eyes darting this way and that. The riders had to jog to keep up with the man.

"Hurry," Riker said, "the new king knows about you, I'm sure." Riker darted down another path, his wings appeared on his back. "We have to get back to the village, meet me there. Then, we will talk about our next move." Riker took off, beating his powerful wings. The riders stood and watched him take off, dazed. Astrid was the first to snap out of it and she ushered the others onto their dragons. Soon, they were on their way to the village.

Riker was there, talking to someone Astrid didn't know or recognize. They landed their dragons right behind the Walker.

"... You're in charge," Riker was saying to the man. The stranger seemed reluctant, his eyes not looking at Riker's and his arms crossed against his chest. "There is an urgent matter that I must attend to." Riker continued, not acknowledging Astrid and the others.

"What are you talking about, chief?" The man said.

"There is a power rising, I must see to it that it doesn't get out of hand. Besides, I am not very popular with this... 'Power', the longer I stay here the more danger I am bringing to you, your family and everyone else on this rock," Riker said. Now, the stranger seemed to accept the responsibility. Riker held out his hand, the man grabbed it firmly and shook it.

"Don't stay away too long," the man said, "I can't run this place like you." Riker laughed.

"Well, guess this is good bye. I hate to leave you like this, ya know, to explain the situation to everyone." Riker said. The strangers eyes widened in realization; he opened his mouth to speak, but Riker took off.

"Come on, Astrid," Riker called with a booming voice that could only be matched by Stoick's. Astrid jumped back onto Stormfly without wasting a second, the other riders groaned, annoyed with all the quick moving. But, they were all flying high in the dark sky. Riker in front with the riders behind him in a 'V' formation.

Everything was quiet under the thick, black clouds. Riker seemed alert, looking up and down and side to side.

"Um, sir," Fishlegs said, he was on Riker's left.

"Yes, what is it boy?" Riker said, not looking at Fishlegs.

"Well, I was wondering, what happened to the others?"

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when you were at Berk? I thought there was more of you... Uh... Walkers?" Now Riker looked at the boy, his eyes were full of sorrow and loss at the memory of his fellow Walkers.

"Riker?" Astrid asked, the Walker shook his head. He hadn't realized that he had drifted off into thought.

"Hade, April and Amelia are some of the best people I have ever met. They stuck with me through thick and thin, even when my wing was broken and an uncountable amount of enemies had us pinned. Those three hero's fought to protect me when I couldn't fight. They were winning, too, but there was to many of them and..." Riker took a long, shaky and heartfelt sigh, trying to hold back tears "... and, one by one, my friends were killed trying to protect me. Amelia the last one standing."

Everything went into a sickening silence and, for awhile, staid unbroken. Until, Snotlout's complete disregard for people's feelings, provoked him to speak up.

"Well, how did you make it out if your friends died?" He said.

"SNOTLOUT!" Astrid yelled, snapping her head over her shoulder to look at him.

"What!" Snotlout said, completely unaware of what he did wrong. "We were all thinking it," Astrid couldn't believe him sometimes. She almost jumped off her dragon and onto his, ready to beat the man senseless, but Riker spoke up.

"Hiccup," he said, "before the king's dragons could finish me off, Hiccup and Toothless arrived. They fought like warriors and had the dragons retreating. Next thing I knew I was at a little hideout, my wing in some kind of sling only Hiccup could design."

"OK, but why aren't you with Hiccup now?" Astrid said.

"Dragon Line. Hiccup knew the new king could find him if I stayed," Riker shook his head. "I can't believe I forgot that the king could see me through the line." They continued to fly to Glorl in silence.

It was a peaceful night, with dark clouds in the sky being reflected in the still ocean below. Everything was going smoothly, Riker even relaxed a bit. Big mistake. A skrill broke through the clouds, diving strait at Riker. Astrid saw it and tried to warn Riker, but it was to late. The Skrill tackled Riker. He gave a scream in pain as the dragon's talons ripped into his flesh and the two hurtled towards the water. More dragons broke through the clouds, the riders tried to defend themselves, but the enemies numbers were to great. One by one, Astrid and her friends were knocked out of the sky and sent hurtling to the icy depths of the ocean. Then, there was darkness.

* * *

A/N: _I can't believe I killed off three of the Walkers! I don't know why, but I thought that not everyone could come out of this confrontation alive. If Hiccup got all the kids off the island unharmed it seemed a little good to be true, so I put a little heart (evil heart) into the story and killed off some of my own OC's. I can't believe myself, but it made the story seem a little more real, to me at least._

_Heads up about the next chapter, things get intense and it might not be for everyone. Just a warning. _

_I have big plans for this story, but I guess you won't fully believe me until you've read it for yourself. Thanks to mycove and NightshadeFromSweden for being my beta's and giving this story a little something extra in greatness!_


	3. Chapter 3- King

_How To Find A Hiccup_

* * *

_Chapter 3_

_'King'_

Everything hurt as Astrid laid there on the stone floor. She was completely unaware of everything around her other than the shearing pain running up her spine and spreading out to her toes and fingertips. With a painful groan, Astrid forced herself into a sitting position, letting her back rest on the wall behind her. She rubbed the back of her head and noticed it was damp. She pulled her hand back and studied it. Blood stained her hand.

She groaned again. Looking around with dead and miserable eyes, Astrid took in her surroundings. She was in a dungeon alright, a stone one. It had three walls made completely out of gray rock, the fourth wall wasn't a wall, but an iron-bar door, keeping her from her freedom. The cell reminded her of the one she had been in at Dragon Island, when Scale was terrorizing the people of the archipelago.

Astrid began to study her own body, seeing what kind of injuries she had sustained. Her left arm was pretty beaten up with a long scratch that ran up from on the inside of her biceps to the top of her wrist. It looked like it used to have blood seeping through it, but now the blood had dried, staining her arm. Her clothing was stained with blood, though it was hard to tell since her shirt was red. There also seemed to be some blood still seeping through a cut on her right side, near the armpit. All of that, plus the head wound, Astrid confirmed she was in a pretty crappy state.

Now, she just needed to find the others, she seemed to be the only one in her small and cramped cell. She crawled over to the cell's iron bars, she didn't think she could muster enough strength to walk. There was a long hall running across from her cell, more cells were on each side of the hall. The one across from her held Tuffnut lying on his side. He had a long, blood-stained scrape running from his side, across his back and stopping at his shoulder blade. The cut, Astrid knew, was the result of a terrible weapon used on corral animals, a whip. A memory came flooding back to her of when she had first came to the prison. They had been tortured.

**FLASHBACK**

Astrid was walking behind Riker, the other riders behind her. Their hands were clad in iron cuffs, linked together with the other prisoners. The chains jingled with each step. Everyone's head was cast to the ground, defeated.

"Oh, come on! Cheer up, you guys are going to help me rule the world, there has to be some excitement in that?" The man in front said. He was clad in black, leather armor. He wore thick leather boots that matched his armor. A silky black cape was drifting behind the man, it was connected to his shoulders by golden rings. The most intimidating feature, however, was his helmet. It was all black like the rest of his armor, it had a something covering his eyes that Astrid didn't know the name of, but the man could see out of it, Astrid couldn't see through the man's visor. It had two small horns coming out of the bottom of the helmet, twisting and disguising his voice into a low echo.

The stranger called himself 'King'. King walked with full confidence, his shoulder swaying slightly with each step. He glanced back at his captives, chuckling, then he turned his attention back to where he was going.

Their dragons had been taken to some place Astrid knew not where. They were walking down a stone hallway. The floor had smooth, black stone. The walls and roof, however, seemed to have been chiseled and were a light gray. It wasn't a wide hall, so the prisoners were forced into a nice, single file line.

King forced each one of them into a large room, he strapped Riker into a chair. He walked over to the wall with his captives still in chains. He strapped their wrists to the wall, their arms stretching high above their heads. No matter how much they struggled, King pulled some kind fighting move Astrid hadn't seen in a long time. It reminded her of how Hiccup had fought. The two must have trained together.

"Now, you guys get comfortable while I go get some toys to play with," King said, walking out of the room, laughing a loud and dark laugh that sent chills up the spines of the riders. Even Riker stiffened. They looked among themselves, regretting what they thought would come next.

"You guys want to play twenty questions?" Tuffnut asked. Even under these circumstances, Tuffnut was still as oblivious as ever.

"Tuff, do you know what King meant by, 'toys'?" Fishlegs asked, trying not to cry. Tuffnut's eyes rolled back into his head in thought.

"Well," he said, "I think he wants to play a game."

"Yeah, do you know what game?" Astrid asked. Now, both Tuffnut and Ruffnut concentrated hard.

"Twenty questions?" They said at the same time. Astrid just shook her head and stared at the ground. This was not going to be fun.

King came back, a whip strapped to his side and some other tools he called 'toys', one of those were pliers. His 'toys' were placed neatly on a tray, he set them beside Riker's chair on a small table.

"Well, there are two ways we can do this," King said, picking up the pliers and studying them in his hand. "We can do this a reasonably painless way, or..." He struck Riker across the face then laughed. "I think you get the idea. Riker was unresponsive. King sighed.

"Tell me where the dragons are!" He demanded. Riker looked up at him.

"You control of all the dragons," he said. King rolled his eyes behind the helmet.

"I did, until that scoundrel, Hiccup, severed me from half of my army!" King shook his head. "He's a worthy opponent, I'll give him that."

"What do you mean?" Astrid said. Riker looked up at King. He looked back and forth between Riker and Astrid.

"You guys have no understanding of what is going on, do you?" He said. "Half those devils still follow Hiccup, they jumped at the chance to serve him," King studied his gloved hand, not paying any attention to his captives. "No matter how many dragons he has, they'll all bow down to me in the end."

"There, we don't know anything you want to know, now let us go," Snotlout said. Riker whipped him across his torso. He grunted at the sudden pain.

"No one ever tells me what to do," King rolled his shoulders and regained himself. "Not anymore." He turned back to Riker with the pliers. He grabbed Riker's fingernail and yanked them off. Riker screamed in pain. King followed suit with each fingernail, each scream emitted from Riker growing louder than the last. When King was finished, Riker's hands ended in bloody stumps, and tears lined the man's face. King wasn't done, oh no, he was just beginning. He poured lemon juice over the freshly opened wounds, making the full grown Walker clench his eyes and teeth, forcing himself not yell.

The riders watched as Riker was beaten and bruised, and one by one, King moved onto the next. Astrid was the last one.

"Astrid, Astrid ,Astrid," King said slowly as Astrid sat in the chair. King stared at her through his dark visor, hand clasped behind his back. "Hiccup went on and on about you, I suppose you guys were very close, no?" Astrid didn't answer. King walked around Astrid's chair, talking. Astrid tuned him out. That was the last thing she remembered, King gave a strong kick aimed at the back of her head.

**END FLASHBACK**

Astrid rubbed her temples and groaned. Tuffnut stirred and rolled over, cracking an eye open. When he saw that Astrid was finally awake, he shot both eyes open.

"Hey, guys, Astrid's up!" He called out. Several voices shouted out.

"Astrid?" one voice called.

"Bout time," another voice.

"You were out for three days! That, 'king,' must have got you good," Astrid couldn't remember the voices, they seemed to be blurred and scrambled. Her ears were ringing, she was hungry, thirsty, in pain and all in all just felt like crap.

"How are you feeling?" Tuffnut said. Was Astrid hearing things, or did Tuffnut just ask a compassionate question? Astrid just looked at him and shook her head. She felt terrible. Tuff sat up, his shoulder leaning against the iron bars of his cell.

"Know how you feel," he said. Tuff sighed and turned his attention to the wall in front of him. "Me and my sister beat on each other all the time, I thought I knew pain. I don't." Tuff chuckled. "Well, guess I do now, but I wish I knew what I signed up for." Astrid chuckled.

"Yeah, this isn't exactly a piece of cake like I thought it was going to be," she said. Tuffnut closed his eyes.

"Mmmm, cake," he said, daydreaming of eating a nice fluffy cake that Phlegma was praised for. Well, that and her fierceness.

"What do we get to eat here?" Astrid asked, Tuffnut looked at her funny.

"We get to eat here?"

"Every other day at noon," Fishlegs spoke up. Judging by the sound his voice came from, Astrid guessed he was in the cell right next to hers on the right. "Although, I agree with Tuff, what you get to eat here doesn't really classify as 'food.'" Astrid groaned for the hundredth time since she woke up.

"When does the next meal come?" She asked.

"Just missed it, you'll have to wait two more days," another voice said, Astrid recognized as Ruffnut.

"Great," Astrid said sarcastically. Ruff laughed.

"Hiccup had better be worth it," she said.

"I hope he is," Astrid sighed. Tuff gave her a look.

"Don't tell me you're giving up on him. After everything we've gone through," he said, "Oh no, we're getting out of here and finding that fishbone, one way or the other." Astrid laughed.

"One way or the other," she whispered. Her eyes became heavy and she slowly drifted off into the land of unconsciousness.

A voice was screaming in the far corners of Astrid's mind. It was loud but it was muffled, yet, she recognized whom the voice belonged to. It was screaming a single word, but Astrid couldn't make it out. Then, images appeared. They showed a group of masked figures, they were running, slashing something with their swords. A new picture showed, this one had her and the other riders running through what seemed to be a stone forest with the strange masked people. Huge, jagged rocks sprouted out of the ground close together.

Then, darkness. She heard a voice, it was still muffled, but she could still tell who the voice belonged to. Hiccup. A helmet appeared before her closed eyes. Behind the helmet were two bright and vivid green eyes. The figure shouted again, this time as clear as day.

"ASTRID!" Her eyes shot open. She was in a cold sweat. Breathing hard and quick, Astrid sat up putting her hand to her head. She leaned up against the wall. _That was some dream, _she thought.

She sat there, not being able to fall back to sleep. Everyone else seemed to be sleeping peacefully, lucky them. In the meanwhile, Astrid couldn't stop thinking about her dream, was that Hiccup behind the helmet?

Astrid had drifted off to sleep on a number of occasions, just to be woken by the same dream. This seemed way to real, and why were they consistent? She would have to ask Riker later when he woke up.

It was impossible to tell what time it was in the cell, but one by one, the riders stirred and finally woke up. Tuff, yawning and stretching his sore arms and legs. He nodded towards Astrid, as if to say ,'hey.' Astrid returned the favor.

"How did you sleep?" He asked. Astrid shrugged.

"Not very well, I kept having the same dream over and over." Tuff laughed.

"Bout Hiccup, I presume?" Astrid rolled her eyes and adjusted herself so that she was leaning up against the iron bars.

"I don't know, maybe, he had a mask or a helmet on... I couldn't tell," Astrid sighed and rested her head on the wall beside her. "Where's Riker?" Tuff rolled his eyes back into his head, which meant he was thinking.

"Don't know, King didn't put him in here with the rest of us," he said. Astrid groaned.

"Great," she sighed, "so are we just going to sit here and rot forever?"

"Not at all, little Missy," a corrupted voice said. A faint echo was heard coming from the halls, someone was coming. Not to soon did King step into Astrid's view, did she wish he left. He had his hands clasped behind his back as he normally did and was in the same getup he was when they first came to the prison.

"Well, look what the terrible terror dragged in," Astrid said. King laughed.

"That's a good one," he said, then he said, "I should use that," more to himself than anyone else, but Astrid still heard him.

"What do you want?" Tuff said, King turned his head around to look at him, but didn't say anything. He looked back at Astrid.

"Don't want much," he said, "just your labor." He whistled and two nadders came and stood by him, one looked like...

"Stormfly!" Astrid yelled, "what did you do to her?" A hint of anger and worry was in her voice.

"Oh, yes that's right, you guys have your own dragons. Guess Hiccup showed you how they could be trusted and 'loved'" King scoffed. "That's what made him a terrible leader."

"Hiccup was a better leader than you," Astrid said.

"Yet, I'm the one who is king over the dragons."

"Yeah, that's why half the dragons left with Hiccup," she chuckled. King punched the bars so hard that they bent. He unlocked the door and grabbed Astrid by the biceps.

"You, 'dragon riders' are going to help me," he said as he chained Astrid's hands together. Her feet were also clad in chains, but she was still able to walk; however, it eliminated her ability to run. King did this to everyone, he then connected the chains at the feet to prevent escape.

He led them through a large stone place that could only be described as a 'stone forest.' It looked awfully familiar to the one Astrid saw in her dream. Trees were uprooted and had fallen over, the rocks seemed as if they weren't here before, but had been recently pushed up to the surface.

King gave each of them a pickax.

"I don't see the use in letting you rot, so I thought I'd put you to work. It would have been those kids Hiccup was so fond of, but oh well," Astrid turned her head to look over her shoulder.

"You were going to enslave kids?" She asked disgusted. King waved his hand around in little circles, trying to come up with an answer.

"Enslave is such a... Strong word," King said, "I was thinking more like... Forcing them to do my will or be roasted on the spot."

Astrid shook her head in disgust.

"You're terrible," she said.

"Yes, so I've been told. Have fun digging till your hands fall off."

"Wait, I haven't had anything to eat since I got here," Astrid complained, "what about water?" King pointed to a puddle behind her.

"There's your water," he laughed as he went back the way they came, the nadders watching over them. They began to dig.

It was dreadfully hot outside. There weren't any clouds in the sky, so the sun had full access to their brittle bodies. They had been digging for hours upon hours, Astrid had actually drank from that puddle King pointed out. She couldn't believe what she was turning into. The nadders didn't hesitate to whip them with their tails if they thought that they were slacking.

They moved to mountain of rock to mountain of rock, beating it down until it was smooth against the stony ground. When the work had been done, the nadders led them back to their cells. The riders collapsed onto the ground. They found a nice little meal waiting for them, although it tasted terrible, it was still food. Astrid found a little note on her plate. It read:

_Hey! Thanks for the help out there. Get your_

_rest and I'll be seeing you real soon_

_Your evil overlord_

_King_

Astrid's whole body gave out and she was fast asleep.

* * *

A/N: _Looks like our heroes will be doing some jail time. Thanks to mycove and NightshadeFromSweden for being my amazing betas'. _

_One more thing, I don't like to be one of those people who beg for reviews, but they really do make me happy. If I could get at least five reviews per chapter, I will be one happy camper. For those first five reviews, I'll give you a shout in the next chapter. If you want me to promote your own HTTYD fan fic, then tell me the name and I'll also put that in my story, as long as you're one of those first five reviewers. _


	4. Chapter 4- Boss Man

A/N: _Welcome to chapter 4, thank you to those who read and reviewed chapter 3. Here are the first five people who reviewed my story:_

_Hiccup and Astrid_

_DaEpicNinja_

_Jo (guest)_

_Helin (guest)_

_m4yui_

* * *

_How To Find A Hiccup_

* * *

_Chapter 4_

_'Boss Man'_

Astrid Hofferson brought her pickax down for the hundredth time that morning. King had them outside since before the sun had even started to show itself. She was by herself, the other riders were somewhere else on the island doing the same thing. Three nadders kept Astrid company, making sure she didn't try anything funny. She still didn't know what had become of her Stormfly. This was... Astrid couldn't even remember how long she had been here.

Astrid had an iron will. At least, she used too. Even the strongest wills of the strongest men would get broken in hell.

The sun was slowly climbing in the sky, illuminating the scatter of clouds that was in the sky in a light pink, a beautiful scenery shined onto a heartbroken rock.

Blisters festered on Astrid's small hands. Sweat and blood dripped down her forehead. King had been working everyone to their, now brittle, bones. Astrid didn't believe in miracles, but if they were going to survive King's torture, they would need a miracle.

Another painful whip across her back made Astrid clench her teeth and eyes, she fell to her knees. The nadders must have thought she wasn't giving it her all. They barked at her and she slowly climbed back to her feet, using her pickax to push herself up. She glared at the dragons, but brought the pickax back down to the pile of rocks before her. What could she do? She tried everything to get out, from using stealth, to full out rage using the pickax as a weapon. But, everyone has their limits and Astrid had reached hers.

She continued to work until a horn was blown. King finally allowed them to stop and get some rest. One foot after the other, Astrid didn't think she could walk all the way back to her cell.

"Have fun, did we?" King asked as Astrid walked past him and into her cell. The others were in their cells, except Riker. Astrid had no clue where he was.

During her time there, Astrid noticed a few things about King. One, was that he seemed to have trouble seeing. Astrid could recall numerous times when King went to grab something, but his hand came up short of the object. He also bumped into a few walls as well, it seemed like he thought they were farther away then what they actually were. Another interesting thing Astrid noticed was that King disappeared for days on end. What business did he have outside of his kingdom?

Astrid eyed the sick man after his comment. King laughed. He slammed the cell's door shut and locked it.

"I'll see you all in a few days, got some things I have to take care of for Boss Ma-" King cleared his throat, "I mean, I have some things I have to take care of," King spun on his heels and left, walking down the dim hall with the nadders following him.

Astrid lay in her cell, the other riders did the same. She tried to sleep, but couldn't. The dreams had become less constant, but haunted her for most nights.

_What name was King about to say? Was there someone in charge of him?_ Astrid thought about what King was about to say before he caught himself, but, she finally drifted off into sleep.

* * *

"Brian!" A young teen yelled as he stumbled up the small hill that was the ground for his village. "Where is that kid?" The boy had short blond hair that stuck up in the front. He wore a long sleeved, brown, tunic and black pants, along with brown boots.

"Yes... Sir," said a younger kid, trying to catch his breath. He had just came running out of the tree line when he heard his name.

"You got the message?"

"The one from Boss Man?" Brian said, the other teen rolled his eyes.

"Yes, the one from Hiccup. You can stop calling him that, you know? Who started that stupid nickname anyway?"

"Dane, he asked me to help him to make it catch on."

"Well, the only reason I can't tell Dane to stop with the nickname is because he out ranks me."

"Whatever," Brian said, "when do we leave, Raden?" The teen, now known as Raden, looked up at the sun, but quickly looked away.

"We'll have to wait for nightfall, then we'll gather up the rest of our team. After that, we'll go save Hiccup's lady friend." Brian groaned.

"I hope he'll shut up about her after we save her," Brian shook his head. "Boss goes on and on about her, it drives me insane." Raden gave him a look.

"You haven't seen Hiccup in ten months, how do you know he still talks about her?"

"Just a hunch," Brian said. Raden chuckled and shook his head. The two boys headed back to their HQ. Hiccup had positioned his 'troops' at numerous locations. This island used to be empty, but was now home and headquarters for his special forces, 'Group Z,' lead by a very proud Raden.

Hiccup was very much against letting kids to be part of this war, but he was outnumbered three thousands to one. He was at least able to talk some sense into the younger kids.

Five years of traveling the earth, Hiccup had built an army, even if it was out of kids. Each one, however, had been trained just like Hiccup had and all of them could hold their own against anyone. Plus, with hundreds of dragons being trained in how to sever themselves from the Dragon Line (Toothless was teaching them), Hiccup was still very much in control of the situation. The only problem, though, was that his enemy had also learned to sever himself from the Line and he didn't know who he was.

The HQ was Group Z's Great Hall. Three hundred teens sat there, eating lunch. The girls and boys seemed to break off from each other and eat with their same genders. Although, some of the older kids seemed to mingle with the opposite sex.

Raden hated that they didn't eat together or so much as talk to each other. This was his team and half of them (mostly the boys) thought that they were better than the other half. He needed to fix this somehow if his group was going to be as strong as possible.

Raden stood in the middle of the Hall, all eyes turned to him. He cleared his throat.

"Well," he said, "isn't this the ugliest bunch of kids I've ever seen." Chuckles spread through the Hall. They all knew their leader well and knew that he was joking.

"Hiccup has been troubled recently. Some of his dearest friends were captured by that ruthless tyrant back on our old home," Raden scanned the crowd, making sure he had everyone's full attention.

"I am proud to announce that Hiccup has looked to us for help." A couple people leaned in to hear better, Raden noticed and chuckled.

"I am also proud to say, my friends, that we have our very first mission!" Cheers rang up from the crowd, ecstatic to finally help the one they adored. After everything Hiccup had gone through for them, he deserved it.

* * *

King had them up early to work on repairing and build his castle. Dragons were helping to get the job done faster, but the reptiles lacked one very important thing... Thumbs.

It was another scorching day for the riders to work under. As soon as they got out of here, they were going to kill Hiccup for making them go on this stupid journey.

The sun was bearing down on them, no clouds were in the sky so it was a nice, clear day. Block by block, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins began to build up a wall that would separate the ocean from the kingdom. King had this notion that this whole thing would get done in a week, tops. Astrid wasn't looking forward to what would happen when King's desires weren't met.

"How did you sleep?" Snotlout asked in a raspy and tired voice. He had been the first one to be broken, only because he was to stupid to know when to shut his mouth.

"I had that dream again," Astrid said. Snotlout gave her a questioning look while he plopped another brick onto the work-in-progress-wall.

"What dream?"

"Haven't I told you?" Snotlout shook his head. Astrid shrugged, looking at her work and not at him while she explained her dream.

"Huh, strange," he said after a moment. Astrid nodded. Snotlout chuckled and got a strange look from Astrid.

"What?" Snotlout shook his head.

"Nothing," he said, regaining himself and went back to work before a nadder or King spotted him not working.

"No," Astrid said, "it isn't 'nothing.' You just don't laugh in a place like this." Snotlout shrugged.

"Maybe Hiccup's using the Dragon Line thing and trying to communicate to you. Stupid, right?" Astrid didn't answer him right away, but agreed. It wasn't impossible for Hiccup to try and communicate with her through that strange Dragon Line thing, was it? She shook her head. She wasn't about to let false hope fill her when it was most likely going to never happen. She wasn't even in charge of the dragons, so she would have never had been connected to the Line. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if that 'miracle' was going to happen. She needed to talk to someone who actually understood the Line; however, the only one who knows is Riker, and Astrid didn't know where he was, or if he even was alive.

It was high noon and King let them take a break. They were escorted back to their cells for some rest and food. It had been two days since their last.

"What happened to Riker?" Astrid asked as King put some slop in her cell through a small opening under the iron-bar-cell-door. King laughed.

"Oh, we've been having fun with some of my favorite toys," he said. Astrid's eyes widened at what Riker had to go through. "Riker should be back up and on his feet in no time, then he can help you with my castle." Astrid narrowed her eyes and King left her to her thoughts. If anyone knew what Astrid's dream meant, it was Riker.

"Psst," someone said. Astrid tried to tune 'em out, she didn't always get a nice, peaceful chance to sleep.

"Psst, blondeee," the voice said again, dragging out the 'e'.

"Gods," another voice whisper shouted. "is she deaf?" Astrid groaned and rolled over, still not opening her eyes to look at whoever was making the noise.

"Come on, do you want to stay here?" Astrid cracked an eye open and gasped, becoming completely awake. These were the mask figures she saw in her dream. This couldn't be that miracle... Could it?

"Shh," the one on the left said. They looked identical in clothing. They wore a black mask with a golden dragon sewn on the front, it looked like a nightfury. They had dark blue cloaks with hoods pulled over the heads. Their cloaks covered all parts of their bodies so Astrid didn't know what else they were wearing.

The one on the right brought his sword up over his right shoulder, with one swing, he broke the lock of the door. Then, the one on the left proceeded into the cell. Astrid sat there stunned, she didn't know what to do. Were they good? Could they be trusted? It didn't seem like she had much of a choice, the stranger pulled her to her feet while the other unlocked the riders' cages.

The riders were angry to be woken up, but when they realized that this was a jail break, they quickly got a move on.

"Who are you?" Snotlout asked a little too loudly. Raden motioned him to be quiet.

"You want to wake the whole island?" He asked. "I'll explain what I can later, but right now we need to move. There's an extraction team on the other side of the island. Lets go." Raden and his partner and his partner proceeded to move, but Astrid grabbed the, slightly shorter, kid's shoulder. Raden grew frustrated.

"Yes, blonde, what is it?" he asked. Astrid narrowed her eyes at him.

"First, don't call me blonde, and second, what about our dragons?" Raden rolled his eyes behind the mask.

"I have no clue where they are," he said. Astrid didn't buy it. Raden groaned. He started to walk the other way with the others behind him.

Raden was in front and his partner in the back. They crept through the dark passages that ran throughout Kings island. Any dragon they came across, Raden immobilized with a 'dragon-nip bomb.' Astrid had to admit, if these kids were linked to Hiccup, then he did a great job at preparing them for these kind of things.

Raden's eyes darted back and forth, watching out for the next dragon that was sure to come at them. This place was filled with them. He was armed with a crossbow that could reload itself, figment of the great inventor, Hiccup.

They ended up in a large room made of stone like everything else on this forsaken island. Torches dimly lit the area, creating eerie shadows of the riders and their 'miracle' on the ground, stretching to the roof. A large, iron, cage sat on the other side of the room. Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug, Barf and Belch laid in the middle of the cage, their chests barely moving with each struggling breath.

Astrid ran to her dragon, gripping the iron bars. She tried not to cry, but her dragon, her best friend, looked to be on the brink of death. What had King done to them? Raden came up behind her, the riders staring at disbelief at what had happened to the dragons they once called enemies. Raden whispered something in dragon. It wasn't answered.

"Astrid," Raden said in a soft voice, "they're too weak to move." Astrid shook her head. She wasn't leaving without Stormfly. Raden sighed.

"We have to leave, Raden," his partner said. Raden looked back at him and took his mask off. He had a dragon of his own back at HQ. A nadder named Spines, he was Raden's best friend.

"He's right, blonde, we have to move," Raden said.

"I'm not leaving Stormfly," Astrid said. Raden took a deep breath.

"Well, I'm sorry then. I have orders that I must complete." He punched Astrid in the neck. Not hard, but he hit a pressure point that stunned the girl. He picked Astrid up, struggling under the weight a bit, he was a hiccup after all. Raden and the others walked back out of the room and headed to the extraction point. The riders glancing at their dragons one last time.

"bye, girl," Fishlegs said in a heartbroken voice.

Raden's partner led them out of the maze of tunnels to the stone forest. There, more of Group Z's members met them. They ushered the prisoners onto dragons of different kinds. Astrid was revived in the middle of the air and, for the first time since she arrived on the island, she wept.

* * *

King stood in front of the empty cages. His arms were crossed and his head slightly bowed. He was infuriated.

"_They escaped last night, sir,_" His skrill said. King shook his head.

"Do one thing for Boss Man and my prisoners escape." He shook his head again and gave an exasperated sigh.

"_Who was on guard duty?_" He asked. His skrill told him who and how they had been immobilized.

"Hmm," King said, in thought, "kill them." King turned and walked away, leaving his skrill to execute the guards. He was going to go pay a visit to his, once- prisoners, dragons. Hiccup may have won his lady friend back, but they would all die in the end. King was going to make sure of that.

* * *

A/N: _What business does King have with Boss Man? Hope __you enjoyed, and if this were youtube; like, favorite and subscribe. But, this isn't youtube, so, review!_

_Thanks to my beta's, mycove and NightshadeFromSweden! Next chapter we will get to hear more about Hiccup. And, don't worry, he'll be coming into play soon._


	5. Chapter 5- Group Z

A/N: _I'm posting this chapter a little earlier then I was planning too. This will be the last chapter for a little while because all of my free time have been spent writing this fic. That, and that I have a pretty bad case of writers block has caused me to want a little break. I think this story is going to have 10 chapters and then I'm done writing multiple chapter stories for a little bit and will post one-shots and short stories. Thanks to my beta readers! _

_And now, enjoy this chapter for you'll have to wait a little bit for the next. I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS FIC, I LOVE IT TO MUCH! __  
_

* * *

_How To Find A Hiccup_

* * *

_Chapter 5_

_'Group Z'_

Astrid's eyes fluttered open. She was fairly comfortable, she hadn't gotten a sleep like that in, what felt like, ages. She was in a nice little room, a desk was in one corner along with a mirror hanging above it. The other side had a dresser with one door slightly hanging open.

When Astrid slowly sat up, she noticed that she was wearing a pink nightgown. Oh, whoever put her in the color 'pink' was going to pay. Wait, who put her in a nightgown?! Astrid was going to kill whoever did.

She made her way to the first floor which seemed to be a kitchen. There was a window beside the front door, sun rays piercing through it, lighting up the inside of the house. Berk didn't have windows, in fact, Astrid didn't know what a window was. Hiccup must have invented it.

Astrid looked around the kitchen and her stomach growled. She would have to change before she went outside, but a little snack first wouldn't hurt.

She made herself some stew and sat down at the table, when she heard a knock at the door. Astrid groaned, she really didn't want anyone to see her in this stupid nightgown. But, she gave in and gave the person on the other side of the door an 'OK' to come in. Raden stepped through the door.

"Ah, glad you're awake. We have much to discuss," he said sitting on the opposite side of Astrid. She took a sip of her stew, not wanting to do anything at the moment. She doesn't know how long she had been out, but can vaguely remember the ride to the island.

"You knocked me out," she said, Raden paled slightly.

"What! No, that doesn't sound like me,"

"Well, it was you. You're lucky I don't fight kids,"

"Teen," Raden corrected. Astrid chuckled.

"I don't have a problem with fighting teens," Raden stared at her wide-eyed.

"Kid's fine," he said sinking into his chair a little. Astrid shook her head and went back to her stew, smiling.

"What I thought," she said. Raden chuckled nervously.

"So, how was your nap? You slept all night and half the day," he said.

"Greatest sleep I've had in a long time," Astrid said, "speaking of which, who put me in a nightgown? Because I sure as hell didn't." Raden paled even more.

"Uh... Well, you... Uh... It was one of our healers. I think her name was, Uh... April. Ya know, named after the Walker?" Astrid nodded slowly.

"How old is she? She would have to..." Astrid was cut off.

"When Hiccup found her, she didn't have a name."

"I heard what happened to them, the Walkers, it's a shame, they were good people... Uh, dragons... Umm, living creatures," what were Walkers classified under? Then, something hit Astrid. They'd left Riker!

"What about Riker?" she said, growing concerned. Raden seemed reluctant to answer. "We left him," Astrid continued, "We have to go rescue him!" Astrid stood up to go upstairs and get dressed, eager to save her friend. Raden interrupted.

"I'm afraid if you save Riker, the only thing you'll save is a corpse," he said glumly, looking at the table. Astrid grabbed the stair rails to keep from falling over. The last Walker was dead.

"The... He..." Raden tried to say, but it didn't want to come out. In the end, he willed himself to say the horrid words. "Riker... Was tortured to death." Astrid sat on the first step, her hand on her forehead, eyes wide. She slowly shook her head, the Walker couldn't be dead.

"Get dressed, blonde, your friends are waiting for you in the Great Hall," and with that, Raden left Astrid, still sitting on the stairs.

She made her way out the door clad in what she had on the day she was rescued from King's dungeon. Astrid was thankful that her clothing had been cleaned, she reeked while rotting in that cell.

Numerous kids were outside, some doing jobs and some just chatting. This was the sanest place she had been to in a long time. Astrid spotted the Great Hall, at least, she thought it was. The building was grand, sitting on top of a large hill overlooking the entire village. The building itself was huge, about eight times larger than the house she was in just a moment ago. The village itself was a beauty, although, it lacked grown-ups, Astrid was the oldest around here it seemed.

She pushed the large doors that belonged to the Great Hall open. It wasn't too packed, so she spotted her friends pretty quickly, sitting by themselves close to the wall. Ruffnut noticed her and motioned her over with her hand.

"Well," Fishlegs said as Astrid was sitting down. "Hiccup has been busy." Astrid chuckled.

"That's an understatement," she said. The riders were all eating some kind of meat, except Astrid, who had eaten back at the house she had woken up in.

"How are you feeling?" The other blond girl asked. Astrid didn't know what she meant, but thought she must be referring to Stormfly. She looked down at the table before her. She shrugged.

"Come on guys, let's not think about that," Snotlout said in a strong tone that seemed forced. "We just got out of that prison, let's enjoy ourselves a little." Agreement nods were shared among the group, all eyes downcast. It would be a long, long time before they got over leaving their dragons. Fishlegs and Astrid were taking it the hardest, since they, by far, were closest to their scaly companion. A thick silence followed, it quickly grew awkward when no one broke it. The riders just ate their chicken, while Astrid tried to think of something other than her beloved dragon.

"So, where are we anyway," Astrid asked, breaking the long silence.

"They call themselves," Fishlegs said, referring to the teens that made up the island, "'Group Z.'"

"'Group Z'..." Astrid said, trailing off. "Does the island have a name?"

"I overheard someone calling it the 'Misfit Island,'" Snotlout said taking a look around. "And I'd say the name suits the island perfectly."

"I wouldn't make fun of them, Snotlout," Astrid warned.

"Why?"

"Well, for one, they saved our butts," Astrid said and Snotlout seemed to take that into account." And two, it seems like they work for Hiccup, so maybe they could point us in the right direction to find him and they won't do that if you make fun of them."

"Remember what Riker said? Hiccup gave them a life worth living, if you make fun of them I don't think Hiccup will take kindly to it," Fishlegs said.

"Why would I care if Hiccup got upset?" Snotlout asked.

"Remember what happened last time we made Hiccup mad?" Fishlegs said. Snotlout paled slightly at the memory of the short, but bloody battle between the archipelago and Scale.

"What happened to Riker anyway?" Tuffnut asked. Fishlegs shrugged.

"No clue, haven't seen him yet," Snotlout said. Astrid grew pale again.

"You guys don't know what happened?" She asked.

"No," Ruffnut said. This wasn't going to be fun explaining. Astrid fidgeted on her seat.

"Raden told me that... um... Riker was... tortured to death." The group stared at her with wide eyes, not fully believing that the old winged man was gone. They quietly went back to their meals. It was during a long silence that Raden came and sat at the table.

"Hey," he greeted. Astrid was the only one who acknowledged him. "You told them, didn't you?" Astrid nodded. Raden shook his head, not liking the fact anymore than the riders.

"Well, let's talk about something else then, shall we?" Raden said, "what were you guys doing when you got captured by King?"

"We were on our way to Glorl to find Dane Haddock," Astrid said. Raden gave her a questioning look.

"How do you know Dane is at Glorl?" Raden asked.

"He's been selling merchandise to a trader that goes to our island, Berk. We were hoping that he could take us to Hiccup," Astrid said. Raden shook his head, thinking. "Do you know where Hiccup is?"

"Do I? No, I do not know personally. Dane is your only hope, but I wouldn't recommend it," Raden said.

"Why?" Fishlegs asked, "After all we went through we're finding Hiccup."

"Listen, I'm not going to stop you, OK," Raden said. "But think about what your showing up would do. I think it would have a negative effect on the matter at hand." With that, Raden left the group to think.

"Hey, you might as well enjoy yourselves for a little. Dane won't be at Glorl for a couple more days yet," Raden called over his shoulder.

"Why would we be a negative influence on Hiccup ?" Tuffnut asked.

"We won't," Ruffnut said, "Astrid will." Astrid bowed her head. She knew she would probably just get in the way and distract Hiccup from whatever business he had to attend. But, her stubbornness got the best of her.

"No, we are going to find Hiccup, we are going to help him win this war and we are going to bring him home!" Astrid said, standing up. She took one look at the group then left them, heading outside.

If Raden was right, then Astrid had nowhere to go for a few days, so she thought that she might as well spend that time trying to find out what Hiccup has been up to. She asked several people, all of them shook her off. It seemed like they knew, but were keeping whatever they knew a secret. Maybe they didn't trust her.

Astrid quickly grew frustrated at the lack of information. She sought out Raden, the leader of Group Z, he was the only one who might shed some light on the mystery that was Hiccup. She found him talking to a small group of kids. Raden was laughing when Astrid tapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh, hey blonde, what can I do ya for?" He said, turning around. Astrid narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't. Call. Me. Blonde," she hissed through clenched teeth. Raden smiled, but took a few steps back.

"Very well," he said. "Could you guys excuse us?" He said to the group behind him. They said their farewells and left Astrid and Raden. Raden opened his mouth to speak, but Astrid cut him off.

"I want answers about Hiccup, now."

Raden chuckled. "Getting right to the point I see." He took a breath, "look, I know what Hiccup means to you, alright? He went on and on about you when he was king of the dragons."

"Yes, I know that, I want to know how he got dethroned and where he is now." Astrid said, growing a little frustrated at the reviewing of information that was already covered. Raden crossed his arms and shook his head.

"I don't have the liberty to tell you," he said. That was it, Astrid was done being a nice girl. If she couldn't get the information she wanted with politeness, then she would have to get with sheer force and intimidation.

Grabbing Raden by the collar of his shirt, Astrid forced his back against a nearby house. Raden's back made an audible cracking sound as it slammed against the wooden house. He clenched his teeth at the slight pain. Raden was easily lifted a foot of the ground, Astrid pushing him so hard against the door, her forearm against his torso, that his ribs were being bent back a little.

"You listen here, Raden," Astrid said through clenched teeth. "If Hiccup has told you anything of significance, then you should know how I act when I'm mad." Raden nodded, not sure if he could gather enough air to speak.

"Good. Now, you are going to tell me what I want to know."

"Fine! Fine. But, you have to put me down first," Raden said. Astrid let the teen drop to his feet. Raden rolled his shoulders.

"Follow me," he said. Raden started to walk through the village, Astrid following him from behind. Raden opened a door that led to the house Astrid had woken up in. He motioned Astrid to enter.

"What do you want to know," Raden said as the two sat at the table.

"Just... Tell me what he's been up to. How is he? Where is he? And what is he doing now?" Astrid asked, waving her hands around to empathize her point. Raden sighed, he wasn't supposed to tell what happened to Hiccup. The only reason he was telling Astrid was that she honestly scared the boy witless.

"I can't tell you where he is, Astrid, because I don't know. The only one who does is Dane," Raden began. "I can tell you that he is fine, physically. Now, him being dethroned has done a number on him mentally and I don't think he's going to rest until this new king is gone for good." Raden took a deep breath. "Where should I begin to tell the story," he sighed. "Don't you want your friends to know about this too?"

"I'll tell them later," Astrid quickly dismissed. Riker rolled his shoulders.

"Right then. I can only tell you what I know since I wasn't the first kid Hiccup had found," Raden said.

"Who was the first kid Hiccup brought to the island?" Astrid asked.

"Dane. Dane was the first, which is why Hiccup adopted him. When Hiccup found Dane, he wasn't planning on helping all the hiccups he could find. What he really wanted to do was to explore, but, when he helped Dane, I guess Hiccup changed his mind about the whole exploring thing and decided to help all the misfit kids he came across. So, let's begin the story, shall we?"

* * *

**4 YEARS EARLIER **

"Do you want to come with me, have a life worth living and a dragon of your own?" Hiccup asked a young blond haired boy. A young Raden seemed reluctant, but he had heard stories about this man who invited him to come live on the island known only as 'The Isle of Night,' supposedly named after his famous nightfury dragon.

"What about my family? I don't think they would miss me, but..." Raden was interrupted by Hiccup.

"I'll let you train your very own dragon, so you can visit them whenever you want," Hiccup said, kneeing to look the kid in the eye.

"Well..." Raden trailed off, thinking. "I'll have to ask for permission."

"Well, what are you standing around here for then? Go ask!" Hiccup said making a shooing motion towards the boy's village. Without a wasting a second, Raden was off to ask if he could go live on 'The Isle of Night.'

**3 YEARS LATER**

"Hiccup," Riker said, "we need a bigger island. This place is to cramped with all of the dragons and people." Hiccup laughed.

"Guess we're doing a pretty good job then, aren't we?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, a little too good if I must say so," Hade said.

"Well, there are several empty islands we could use to house the kids," April suggested. The Walkers and Hiccup were sitting in Hiccup's favorite place on the island. It was a cove. This one wasn't as big or as nice as the one on Berk, but it reminded Hiccup of that place all the same.

"We have several teens who are as good a leader as I am," Hiccup said. "They can watch over a couple of kids. Plus, the dragons will be there with them, I'll be able to keep an eye on them through the Dragon Line." The Walkers pondered this for a while, but decided it wouldn't hurt to try it. After all, Hiccup has been good at making decisions so far, why wouldn't this one work?

Hiccup walked through his cramped kingdom, kids brushing passed him and dragons flying overhead. He had to figure out which kids would go to what islands. He had trained several of the older kids how to fight and defend themselves, then those kids taught the other kids and so on.

There were a few, however, that were trained in certain aspects of warfare. Some knew how sneak through a village in broad daylight and not be seen, others knew how to shoot a fly with an arrow and keep it alive, while others were best on the front lines. Hiccup decided to split these kids into groups and to put them on the islands together. That day, Hiccup announced his plans to his people. It was received with mixed feelings, but the idea of more room won everyone over.

**PRESENT**

"That day, Hiccup started sending groups off to nearby islands. Me and the group you see when you go outside were chosen to live on this island. I can't tell how Hiccup got dethroned because I don't know. The only ones who do are Dane and the Walkers," Raden said, finishing his story. Astrid still wasn't a hundred percent satisfied, but knew more than she did before.

"How far away is Glorl from here?" Astrid asked. Raden looked up from the table he had been staring at.

"You'll have to fly north-east for about five hours," Dane replied. Astrid smiled.

"How many dragons do you have?"

"Only a handful," Raden replied. "I can't give you them." Astrid face dropped.

"No, you have to..."

"But!" Raden interrupted. "But, I can let you borrow them. Once you get to Glorl, you'll have to send them back here."

"OK, deal."

"Do I have your word?"

"Yes, Raden, you have my word."


	6. Chapter 6- An Unexpected Meeting

A/N: _Whelp, looks like I couldn't stay away for to long, but as soon as I got over my writers block I turned this chapter into the longest one yet. Guess who shows up (__drum roll please) *takes deep breath* the person who shows up is..._

_Also, I started a poll on my profile. It's about which story I should do after this one is complete. Not sure how much longer this story is going to be, but we'll see. Thanks to mycove for writing a... certain... part._

* * *

_How To Find A Hiccup_

* * *

_Chapter 6_

_'An Unexpected Meeting'_

The riders landed their borrowed dragons in the middle of Glorl. Astrid couldn't believe it, after all they went through, they were finally here. Astrid and the other riders sent their dragons back to Raden and the rest of Group Z. And, with a few squawks and growls, the beasts flapped their great wings and were soon out of sight.

"So, this is Glorl," Ruffnut said. A large beefy viking walked up to them with outstretched arms. He had a long and bushy white beard and his eyes twinkled with merriment.

"Aye! This is Glorl. Welcome, my friends," the viking said." My name is Hash. Chief of the island."

"Well, aren't you a friendly fellow," Snotlout said. Hash gave a mighty bellow of a laugh that rattled the eardrums of the riders.

"Only to those who can be called friends," he said. Then, Hash's expression grew serious. "You can be called friends, can't you?" Fishlegs nodded furiously.

"Oh, yes sir," Fishlegs said. "We are very friendly." Hash tilted his head, staring right through the riders. He chuckled darkly.

"What are ye names?" Hash asked and the riders introduced themselves proudly. Hash chuckled darkly again.

"Funny," Hash said. "Dane told me to watch out for riders with those exact names." Other villagers surrounded the riders. Crossbows and swords were leveled at them.

"What? That's impossible. He shouldn't have even known we were coming. The only thing we want is for him to take us to Hiccup, you see..." Astrid tried, getting a little worried.

"No. I don't see," Hash said, drawing his own sword. The men of Glorl slowly closed in on the riders.

"Wait, we're not your..." Astrid was cut off. A beefy hand clasped around her mouth, making the rest of her sentence a muffled gargle. The other riders were quickly subdued, their hands were tied behind their backs and a sack was slipped over their heads, leaving them blind.

Astrid was disorientated, she had been walking forever and had been spun around so many times that she lost her sense of direction. She knew the others were around her, the people of Glorl would yell at them if they were out of line.

They trudged through the woods, twigs snapping beneath their feet and a few low hanging branches caught the riders in the head, making them growl in annoyance. A forceful hand pushed Astrid on the shoulder, indicating that the man wanted her to walk faster. The push nearly made her fall over face first to the moss covered ground. With her hands tied and her vision blocked by the sack, there was little Astrid could do but to obey.

What was going on! Why would Dane tell these people to watch out for us? How did they even know about the riders? Sure, Hiccup probably told him about Astrid and the others, but why would Dane feel the need to kidnap them? Astrid couldn't shake the feeling that they were going back to a horrible place, one that resembled King's prison, one that they had escaped from not too long ago.

Astrid tripped on a root that jutted out of the ground. She landed on her side, the wind getting knocked out of her. A large beefy hand grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her back to her feet, picking her up and placing her upright like a toddler learning how to walk. The man gave a light shove, forcing Astrid to keep moving. After a few more minutes of walking, the large hand forced her to stop, grabbing her shoulders again.

"Are you going to keep doing that?" Astrid asked irritated. She hated being manhandled, in fact, she hated it when people helped her, period. It made her feel weak in a way, like she wasn't good enough or strong enough.

"Hush up," the thick voice that was Hash said. "You ready down there?" He shouted. _Down where?_ Astrid thought. An 'aye sir' was shouted back, the voice seemed to be from below her. Before Astrid had any time to react, Hash pushed her. Astrid went into a free fall, there was no ground to stop her fall, now, Astrid wasn't looking forward to stopping it.

She came crashing down onto some wooden contraption. Her bones rattled and crunched at the sudden change of pace. Astrid groaned, she was hurt, but it was nothing she hadn't felt before. More crashes were heard around her, she guessed that the other riders had been sent off the cliff. With each body crashing down, the platform they were on swayed. It seemed like they were on a boat.

"Have fun getting eaten alive by maggots," a voice said that Astrid didn't recognize.

The boat was set adrift, rocking on the choppy ocean. Silence followed as the riders tried to process what had just happened. They finally made it to their destination, after all the suffering and torture they had gone through when they were captured by King, it was all about to be worth it. From a hope that Hiccup could be found, a hope trader Johann had brought to Berk and to Astrid. That hope had spread like a fire throughout the village of Berk, through the heart and soul of Stoick the Vast, a hope that would give him a chance to make things right with his son. That hope was squashed, stomped out under a boot that belonged to Dane. Astrid couldn't believe that the kid they were trying to find had sent them adrift into the unforgiving ocean.

The boat gave a sudden rock and a jerk. They had only been sailing for a few minutes and already something went horribly wrong. The boat picked up speed, a lot of speed. The riders were jerked backwards at the sudden change of pace. Panic spread through the riders, more so then there already was. A fear of a shark or dragon, or maybe even a kraken, like those the fishermen on Berk like to tell about, had taken over the vessel and was about to send them all to the watery grave.

Suddenly, the boat jerked to a stop after picking up speed for about an hour. A hoarse voice spoke out. It was too high-pitched to be a grown-up, but it was definitely a boy's voice.

"Sorry for my means of getting you here," the boy said with his scratchy voice. The sack was ripped off Astrid's head, as were the sacks that were on the other riders. They squinted their eyes to block out some of the protruding sunlight. When their eyes accommodated to the bright rays of the sun, the riders saw a young boy. He had black hair and mismatched cloths sown together to make up a shirt and pants. However, it was the boy's eyes that stood out the most. They were pale and had, what seemed to be, red lines on his skin, stopping just outside his eyeballs. To be honest, it was actually quite scary.

"Who are you?" Snotlout asked as the boy untied his bonds. He did this with everyone and only then did he answer Snotlout's question.

"My name is Dane Haddock, adoptive son of Hiccup Haddock," his creepy eyes scanned the riders who stared back in awe. This was him? This was Dane? Johann had shown them a picture of him before they left Berk, but whoever the artist was didn't capture Dane's... uh... unique, eyes. Astrid stepped forward. The kid was fairly tall, looking Astrid in the eyes.

"You're Dane?" She asked softly. The kid gave a small laugh and nodded.

"Sorry if I don't live up to your expectations," he said, averting his eyes.

"Can... can you..." Astrid couldn't say the words. After all they had been through, she couldn't quite believe that they might have just found Dane, the one who could take them to Hiccup.

"Boss Man would love to see you guys," he said.

"Boss Man?" Tuff said, not knowing who he was.

"That's just my nickname for him," Dane said. "Hiccup's ready to see you."

Astrid gave a small, soft laugh. She covered her mouth with her hand, not able to hide the joy in her eyes, not like she was really trying to. Their journey was about to come to its end and she couldn't believe it. The dragon rider they had been chasing for, what seemed to be, ages, was about to come to an end. Astrid only nodded toward Dane, not able to speak. The other riders were in a similar state.

Dane gave a dragon call and the dragons that had pushed the boat swam away.

"I am sorry for how I had to get you guys here. I was taking no chances at you being followed here," Dane said. He turned and started to walk away, but he tripped on a rock which sent him flying to the dirt, landing on his outstretched arm. He turned back to the group wearing an embarrassed expression.

"Sorry 'bout that, my vision isn't top notch," Dane chuckled softly, trying to shake off the embarrassment. Astrid gave him an apologetic look and Dane started to walk into the forest, the riders following in a single file line, the narrow path wouldn't allow otherwise. They walked down a steep decline in the earth. The riders didn't know it, but the whole place dipped down and ended in the center of the island, a mile below sea level.

Dane stopped just shy of a large cave. The entrance was encased in darkness, allowing little to no light through. It looked like a black sheet covered the entrance. Huge trees sprouted all around the riders and Dane, blocking most of the light attempting to spread its joy on the island. This just made the cave seem more eerie.

"Coming?" Dane asked when the riders seemed hesitant to enter the cave. "Don't you trust me?" Astrid eyed him with a 'you kidding me?' expression. Dane gave a puzzled look in return.

"After what we've been through, we don't really trust anyone," Astrid said. Dane nodded as if he understood.

"That's good," he said. "Never trust anyone a hundred percent. It'll only lead to heartbreak and sorrow." Dane turned his expression to the entrance of the cave.

"You may not trust me enough to head down this creepy tunnel, but you might trust a dragon," Dane said. Before the riders had time to ask anything, Dane put two fingers in his mouth and gave a high pitched whistle. No sooner did the ear piercing sound enter the cave did an equal sound answer, although this one didn't sound to be from a human. In fact, it sounded almost like...

"Toothless!" Astrid shouted as the black, catlike dragon bounded out of the cave. The dragon didn't waste a second in tackling the blonde warrior to the ground, saturating her in his saliva as he licked her face. It took Astrid all of her strength to crawl out from underneath the great beast, but not before she had a nice coat of nightfury saliva.

"Yes, Toothless, I'm happy to see you, too," Astrid giggled while wiping some nightfury saliva off her cheeks. The other riders took a step back, the last time they saw a nightfury it was blowing up houses and vikings. Astrid laughed at the scared vikings.

"Don't worry, he's harmless," Astrid said. "Here, let me show you." Astrid motioned for Fishlegs to come over. He shook his head quickly, not wanting to get near that thing Astrid called harmless. Even if Fishlegs knew that dragons can be _harmless, _this was the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. That didn't sound so harmless to him.

Astrid rolled her eyes. She ended up having to gabbed Fishlegs by the hand and dragging him over to the scaly reptile. Toothless knew these humans were afraid of him, but he couldn't help himself. He quickly jabbed his head forward, making it look like he was going to pounce. Fishlegs jerked his hand away from Astrid. In his haste to get away from the dragon, Fishlegs fell over, retreating to crawling away from Toothless. The dragon gave his version of a laugh, his eyes were full of playfulness and innocence. Astrid just rolled her eyes and stared at Toothless, he just tilted his head to the side, trying to find out what he had done wrong.

"Hey, I would love to watch Toothless scare your friends witless and all, but I have other places to be," Dane said. "Toothless, take them to see Hiccup. I've got to go thank the people of Glorl for kidnapping them and all that fun stuff." Dane started to trudge back up the hill. Astrid wondered how Dane got around, she thought he had a skrill. She was right. Dane gave a dragon call and large skrill swooped down from out of nowhere, grabbing Dane's arm that he had stretched high up above. The skrill tossed the kid onto his back and flew off into the direction of Glorl.

Toothless snorted, gaining the attention of the riders. He nodded his head towards the direction of the cave and started to walk back in. Astrid followed, but the other riders stayed back.

"Tell Hiccup we're waiting out here for him," chuckled a nervous Ruffnut. Astrid shook her head and laughed, after all they've been through, this giant catlike dragon is going to do them in with sheer intimidation due to viking legend.

The cave grew dark, very dark. Toothless used his echolocation skill to find exactly where he had to go, and if Astrid wasn't sitting on his back then she would have been lost long ago. The dragon kept turning this way and that, shouting out every now and then to get a better view of where he was going. After walking aimlessly for a couple of minutes, Toothless stopped. The dragon pushed a large boulder out of the way with his forepaws, nearly throwing Astrid off in the process.

Light erupted into the dark cave once Toothless pushed the boulder away. Astrid climbed off and slowly walked towards the opening. Toothless just laid down at the opening, as if guarding it from something.

There was a deep decline in the earth behind the boulder Toothless pushed away. Torches were lit on the walls, illuminating the strange place. Everything was colored orange by the glow of the flames. Astrid peered down into the pit, she gasped at what she saw. A man with auburn hair and a metal leg sat in the very center of the stone pit. His legs were crisscrossed and his head was bowed. It looked as if he was drawing something. That was Hiccup. Astrid wasted no time in sliding down the steep decline. Hiccup shot his head around and gasped when Astrid jumped into his arms.

For a second, Hiccup thought he was being attacked when he found himself in a bone-crushing hug.

"_Don't worry, it's just Astrid,_" Toothless warbled. Hiccup laughed and hugged her back, only to be kneed in the stomach. Hiccup crumbled to the ground clutching his stomach.

"OW! Oh, why would you do that?" He asked in his sarcastic tone. Astrid had to fight the urge to laugh, she was mad at him for putting her through all that crap trying to find him.

"That's for leaving," she said as Hiccup made his way to his feet, still clutching his stomach and trying to regain his breath. He smirked, knowing what was coming next.

"And?" Hiccup pressed. Astrid swept his good foot out from underneath him, sending him back to the ground. That didn't go the way Hiccup had hoped.

"And that's for everything else," she hissed. Astrid gave him a kick in the side for good measure. Hiccup groaned.

"If you're trying to kill me, then you'll have to get in line," he moaned, still lying on the floor.

"What's wrong with you?" Astrid asked, crossing her arms and staring down at the man groaning on the floor. Astrid had to admit, he had changed a lot, he wasn't that boy she knew five years ago, but it seemed like he kept his personality. Astrid let a small smile grace her lips, it looked like puberty struck Hiccup well, all was good in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked, genuinely confused. He scooted up next to the wall so he could lean up against it, Astrid stood over him.

"Why would you leave and not come back?" Astrid asked, she continued before Hiccup could answer. "That ring you made me has been sitting on my dresser for years, just waiting for you to give it me personally." A small tear slipped from Astrid eye, she didn't feel the need to wipe it away. If it was going to make Hiccup feel guiltier then so be it. It seemed to work as Hiccup looked away.

"Astrid, I'm truly sorry for leaving. After I healed from that arrow, I just wanted to get away for a little bit. But, you know me, danger and adventure sought me out... and now here we are," Hiccup stood up to look Astrid in the eyes, they were brimming with tears that refused to fall.

Astrid turned her back towards him. "I missed you," she said in a shaky whisper. Hiccup sighed again. He came up and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. Hiccup was taller than her, but only by three inches.

"I missed you, too," he whispered in her ear. "But we're together now."

All at once, it was as if time had stopped. They were feeling the same things deep inside, they knew it without having to speak. To be able, at last, at long last, to hold each other, to feel each other, and never want to let go again, was an incredible feeling. They both had been longing for this, a yearning beyond words, even to themselves, suffering a mute, dull sorrow, each and every painful day since they had been apart.

Without warning, tears started to fall down. Astrid first, soft sobs building up in her throat. With that, Hiccup, in spite of all his strength, couldn't hold his own tears anymore, and, overwhelmed by this deep feeling of love, did not even try to fight them. Only then did they realize how much they had really missed each other, how cruel and heart-wrenching their separation had been.

Not a word passed between them. The sound of quiet sobs and harder breathing were all that could be heard.

Hiccup felt as if his heart wanted to beat out of his chest, as he considered how much she had changed. She had grown into a beautiful girl, no, woman… and he was now holding her in his arms in a priceless moment beyond his wildest dreams.

Astrid was more confused, because she had dreamed so many times to be in Hiccup's arms, and now she was, she felt like home… and yet not entirely. 5 years can be an eternity over a boy's body… and mind. His body had grown so much, he was, like, broader, in every way. Stronger. Sturdier. His body. But what about his mind? Who was the man she was hugging with all her might, after all?

Hiccup may have felt her doubts, because he moved his head so he could study her face. She blushed. She knew she had released her grip, ever so slightly, but enough for him to realize something was going on.

Somehow, he saw the worry in her eyes, and understood. He too, was afraid that time may have taken its toll on their relationship. They had been longing for each other so hard, but were they still the one the other was waiting for ?

Then suddenly, for the first time, it was Hiccup who leaned forward and kissed her on her lips, his grip around her not really leaving her a choice. But she didn't try to pull away. Startled by Hiccup's sudden boldness, she took the kiss, and returned it with all the fierce of her love. All doubts were gone. All fears were far away. All there was in the cave were two young lovers, united now and forever, in a passionate kiss.

After Thor knows how long, their lips parted, and looking in each others eyes, they knew they never had lost each other all this time. Better still, it was as if the past 5 years had never existed. They had found each other again.

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid sat against the wall. Astrid's head resting against Hiccup's shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled, he had a kind of dazed expression on his face.

"Love ya," she said. It took a moment for him to come up with an answer.

"Love you, too," he said in a dazed sort of tone. "Hey, Astrid."

"Yeah?"

"I really missed you." Astrid couldn't help but elbow him in the ribs, but laughed nonetheless. Hiccup was back and Astrid was never letting him out of her sight again.

"_Is it safe to come in yet?_" Toothless asked, peeking over the side to get a glimpse of the two. Hiccup and Astrid chuckled.

"Yes, Toothless, it's safe to come in, but don't," Hiccup said. Toothless tilted his head not understanding why he couldn't come down.

"Because I'm coming up. It's to my attention that there are people who want to meet me," Hiccup stood up and offered his hand to Astrid, she gladly took it and Hiccup helped her to her feet.

Hiccup had hammered some wooden planks to the wall when he first came to the cave. It created an easy way up and out of the hidden crater that Hiccup had located himself in.

Toothless led the two out of the cave to the waiting riders. Ruff and Tuff were laying on their back, looking up at the sky. Snotlout was leaning up against a tree with his arms crossed across his chest and staring at the ground while Fishlegs sat with his legs crossed, studying a flower; he quickly discarded it when he notice Astrid coming back out of the cave, along with some tall fellow.

"Aw man!" Tuff said. "I though we were going to see Hiccup." Hiccup laughed.

"Well then, let me introduce myself," Hiccup said. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third at you service." Snotlout burst out laughing and slapped Hiccup on the shoulder.

"Nice try, but you look way to impressive to be the Hiccup we know," Snotlout chuckles again.

"Thanks Snotlout. But, I really am Hiccup." Fishlegs shot his glance towards Astrid. She smiled.

"Yes, everyone, this is Hiccup. He just... grew. A lot." Astrid said. Snotlout looked back between Hiccup and Astrid, not believing and not wanting _to_ believe. But, this man did resemble Hiccup in some ways, like his eyes and hair color. Plus, there was that metal leg. Snotlout let out an exasperated sigh.

"Dang it!" He said. Hiccup chuckled.

"You know cousin, I kinda like having to look down on y_ou_ for a change. Maybe you'll have better respect for how a hiccup views the world," Hiccup said.

"Oh you did not just..." Snotlout looked like he was about to start a fight, but Hiccup had other plans.

"Toothless!" He called and the dragon bounded over to him. He had been watching from afar as to not scare the other riders, but he quickly forgot about that when his master and friend called. Everyone but Hiccup and Astrid backed up when the great beast bounded over.

"Show our guests where they will be staying. I have some... things I need to take care of." Toothless knew what Hiccup meant. The dragon shooed them inside the cave, against their will of course. Astrid tried to follow Hiccup into the woods where he had just disappeared, but Toothless held out his wing, blocking her path. The dragon shook his head, his eyes showed sadness. Toothless motioned Astrid into the cave, and soon, the darkness of the cave enveloped them.

Hiccup walked through the forest with his head downcast. Everything was quiet, the silence only being broken by the sounds of the forest. Hiccup ended up in a small clearing, a shovel was stabbed in the middle. He sighed and started digging. Three feet down, Hiccup's shovel hit a metal box. Carefully, Hiccup picked up the box and undid the latch that kept it closed. Inside the box were three pictures, each had their own little section. Pictures of April, Amelia and Hade were secured safely in the small box. Hiccup pulled out a picture of Riker from his suit of armor and placed in the box.

"Good bye, old friend. You're with your brother and sisters now," Hiccup said. He couldn't stop the tear from slipping from his eye. Hiccup knew his friend was dead when death severed his ties with the Dragon Line. He couldn't give them the proper send off since he didn't have their bodies, these picture were the best he could do.

Patting the dirt above the box to make sure it was firmly packed, Hiccup said his last thank yous and good byes. He turned and walked away. When Riker was in the dungeon, Hiccup was able to use the Dragon Line to find out a few things about 'King'. Hiccup was going to avenge his friends.

* * *

**3 Days Later**

It was past midnight and Raden was doing a quick sweep of his island before calling it a night. The ground had an odd amount of fog hovering above it. Raden recognized it as smoke from a smothering smokebreath. Fog and smoke from a smothering smokebreath looked slightly different to the trained eye.

"Something's... not... right," Raden whispered to himself as he slowly drew his sword. A whisper of a voice made its way to Raden ears. He couldn't make out the words, but he could tell where it came. The voice led him to the docks. King stood proud and tall, his hands placed behind his back as if this was some kind of business trip. Hiccup had sent a picture to Group Z and the other misfits he had rescued to show them what King looked like, just in case they ever saw him.

Raden pointed his sword at him.

"You. What... what do you want?" He asked, his hand shaking slightly. King chuckled darkly.

"I just want your help," King said, simply, as he took a step closer. Raden backed up.

"My help? You're mad!" Raden said.

"Perhaps, a little, but I think I can persuade you." King raised his hand high above his head and snapped his fingers. The ocean behind him had zippleback gas coating the top. A dragon lit it at King's command. Three hundred boats sat in the harbor and Raden's eyes widened when he realized that the boats held captives. One boat was docked; three people were tied up together, a whispering death rapped around the poor family. Raden almost dropped his sword, they were his family: his mom, dad, and little sister.

"So, how about that help?" King asked again, taking another step closer to Raden. The teen didn't answer and King nodded his head toward the whispering death. A spine on the dragons snakelike body popped up, coming dangerously close to the little girls neck. She gave a frighten squeak and arched her neck to try and get away from it.

"It would be a shame to spill her precious blood, wouldn't it?" King asked. Raden bowed his head in defeat.

"What do you want me to do?"

* * *

A/N: _Please, tell me what you thought. You guys got your fluff and that's as far as it's going. Not sure when the next chapter is going to be posted, but I'm going to start a second act of the story. Hope this chapter was worth the wait. I know this wasn't really that long to wait, but it always feel long to me. Anyway, please review. I love reading them._

_Thank you mycove and NightshadeFromSweden for being my betas! _


	7. ACT II: Chapter 1- Old Home

A/N: _Hello again! In this chapter I'll be starting a new ACT, there will be three in total. This act will be about Hiccup and Stoick and Astrid. Basically, it'll be Hiccup and Stoick bonding time. And... we might get to see more about Hiccup's past after he got shot with that arrow all those years ago... and... who shot the arrow? _

* * *

_How To Find A Hiccup_

_ACT II: Berk_

* * *

_Chapter 1_

_'Old Home'_

"Hiccup!" A voice shouted from somewhere. Hiccup stirred in his sleep, not wanting to wake up just yet. He put his pillow over his head to block out the noise.

"Hiccup!" the voice shouted again. "Don't make me come up there!" _Geez_! Hiccup thought. _Stop treating me like I'm 5_. Hiccup tossed and turned under his wool blankets, tangling himself more then he already was. He heard footsteps clambering up the stairs. _Oh no_. Freezing cold water was thrown over him, drenching him completely.

"Told you." Hiccup sat up right soaking wet and eyes wide.

"Why would you do that?" He asked shivering. He'd been woken up before due to war, but that was better than being woken up by ice cold water. Astrid tossed him a towel which he gladly accepted.

"We have a lot of things to do before we head back to Berk," Astrid said as she went back downstairs. Berk. Hiccup had never really thought of going back. In fact, a small part of him thought maybe Stoick had sent Astrid and the others to bring him back to be imprisoned. He dismissed that idea, Astrid wouldn't agree to that. Would she? The only way Hiccup thought Astrid would bring him back to be imprisoned would be if she didn't know Hiccup would be punished.

"Well, look who it is," Dane said as Hiccup came down the steps. They were in a nice little hut Hiccup had built himself. They were still located in the cave, but it had hundreds of different tunnels. Hiccup had a fortress that was impossible to navigate through, unless you had a nightfury.

Hiccup rolled his eyes at Dane's comment.

"Shut up," Hiccup laughed and sat down at the wooden table, opposite from Dane. Dane smiled and went back to his food. Astrid came over from the kitchen and placed a bowl down in front of Hiccup and received a 'thanks' in return.

"You lit the torches in the cave, right? It'll be near impossible for the others to find us if you didn't," Hiccup said to Dane. Dane gave a weak and nervous smile in return.

"N-no, I forgot," he said and Hiccup sighed. "I'll get right on that Boss Man." With that, Dane got up and exited the house with Toothless trailing behind him.

Astrid shook her head.

"What?" Hiccup asked, knowing something was up. Astrid bit her lower lip.

"Dane calls you Boss Man?" She asked. Hiccup nodded.

"I can understand why he doesn't call me dad, but I don't know where the nickname 'Boss Man' came from," Hiccup said. "Why?" Astrid shook her head again. Where had she heard that name before. She remembers King saying Boss, but stopping after that. There was no way Dane was King, was there?

"Does anyone else call you Boss Man?" She asked. Hiccup leaned back into his chair, thinking. But shook his head.

"Nope, he's the only one who does. What does it matter?"

"It doesn't, just curious."

"Huh," Hiccup said, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek in thought. He chuckled and went back to his food.

* * *

Hiccup was beyond nervous. Astrid had talked him into going back to Berk and he couldn't believe he actually agreed. It had been five long years since he left Berk and he really hadn't left on a cheerful note. He almost destroyed the island and killed... who knows how many people, but Hiccup knew the body count was high.

There would be angry families wanting to get revenge the family members he took away from them. Hiccup hated the fact, but he saw himself as a murderer. If they wanted him to be imprisoned for his crimes he would gladly accept, to pay for his crimes. The only thing keeping him from doing that, however, is the battle he's in now. There was no way he was going to abandon the kids to fight this war, it was his fault after all. If he hadn't been so nice, and kept a better eye out for things then none of this would have happened.

Hiccup and the other were outside loading up some dragon that they could take back to Berk. These were some of the first ones Toothless had taught to sever themselves from the Dragon Line, so they could fly to Berk without King knowing of their whereabouts.

Astrid had brought up a very painful subject when he introduced them to the dragons they would be taking to Berk. She wanted Hiccup to do something about their dragons that were still on Kings island. Hiccup didn't have enough man power to get the dragons off that devil's island. The Dragon Line allowed Hiccup to see what the dragons were seeing, he felt what they felt and heard what they heard. They were simply just to weak to move. King had at least let them live after Astrid and the others escaped, but that didn't mean King let them off the hook completely.

It was a fairly nice day to go flying, there were a few wisps of clouds and the wind was pretty calm. The sun's golden rays beat down onto the earth, making everything nice and warm. Around these parts, summer actually felt like summer, while Berk still felt a bitter chill.

Hiccup packed one more bag onto Toothless' saddle. The dragon didn't complain about the extra weight, but could sense something was up with his friend.

"_So, excited about going back to Berk, are we?_" Toothless said, knowing Hiccup was, in fact, stressing very much about returning to his old home. The dragon, as well, thought it was foolish for Hiccup to go back. Some moron shot him with an arrow for crying out loud! Nearly killed him too, scared Toothless to death.

Hiccup just shook his head at his friend's question.

"_Ha, ha, ha,_" Hiccup said. "_I'm practically bursting with excitement. Can't wait to see the people who hate me._" Toothless rolled his eyes. Hiccup found it kind of unnerving that Toothless seemed to have more facial expressions than humans. He's smarter than most as well.

"_You know Astrid said that Stoick was thrilled when she told him she could find you. Why so nervous?_" Hiccup folded his arms and looked at the dragon. Toothless got the message.

The others were already ready to go, since they didn't have much to pack.

"Hey, where's Dane?" Astrid asked from atop her dragon, which was a thunderdrum. Hiccup did a 360 looking for his son.

"Huh, he should be here. He knows we're leaving for Berk," Hiccup said. He couldn't leave and he _wouldn't _leave until Dane got here. His skrill was nowhere to be seen either.

The group waited for half an hour. Hiccup thought it was strange, Dane was never late and always listened. Since his skrill severed himself from the Line, Hiccup was completely blind as to where the two might be.

He started getting worried, Dane was taking way to long to show up. Hiccup was about to go out and search for him, but a skrill landed beside him carrying a certain boy.

"What the heck is wrong is with you?" Hiccup scolded, arms crossed across his chest. Dane had an almost sheepish look.

'S-sorry, Boss Man, forgot we were heading to Berk today," Dane said. Hiccup didn't buy it for a second, but let the matter drop. He was here now and they could all head off to Berk. Hiccup hopped atop of his dragon and the group took off.

Hiccup couldn't help but think about his father. What would he say? How would he act around him? Would he finally see Hiccup as an equal or still his hopeless son? Would he even consider Hiccup as a son? Hiccup didn't know, but he couldn't help but think the worst was going to happen. He took a deep breath to calm himself. This was either going to be very good, or very bad.

On the way back, Hiccup had to stop by Halder, the island that Riker was chief of. He had some, unfortunate, news to share with them.

They landed in the middle of town and were immediately swarmed by the villagers. Most thought and hoped it would be Riker, but were a little deflated when they realized it was Hiccup.

"Hey, everyone," Hiccup greeted, and waved his hand in his nervous way. Even after everything Hiccup had been through, he was still that little geeky Hiccup he was five years ago. The only difference was that the geek could fight now.

"Hiccup, welcome! It's been a while," a man said. Astrid had to take a moment to remember him. He was the guy that Riker put in charge before he left. Astrid still felt pain when she thought of the old winged man.

"How's it going, Grole?" Hiccup asked the man who was now identified as Grole. The man smiled.

"Just fine. You haven't visited in a long while, How's my Raden doing?" Grole said.

"Wait, this is where Raden used to live?" Fishlegs asked.

"Yes it is. When Hiccup came he molded that boy into one of the most dangerous boys I've ever seen. His parents have disappeared the other day, it's a shame, I'm sure they would love to hear what Raden has been up to," Grole said. Hiccup eyebrows furrowed, where would Raden's parents have gone? He would have to look into that later, he could only do so much at once and for Grole it didn't seem like it was that big of an issue.

"Hey, Grole, I have something I need to discuss with you... uh... in private," Hiccup said and Grole didn't like his tone, this was not good news.

Grole and Hiccup shoved through the crowd of men, women and children to get to Grole's house. The chief allowed Hiccup to enter and then slammed the door in front of a group of people who had followed them. Dane and the others were left in the middle of a large circle made up of vikings. Dane rolled his shoulders.

"Alright, get back to whatever it is you do, I'm sure Hiccup and Grole will be out soon enough to tell you all whatever news it is that they're sharing," Dane said shooing the villagers away with his hands. He sighed. "I'm off to explore the island, anyone want to accompany me?" The group of dragon riders didn't seem to have anything better to do, so they agreed.

It was dusk when Hiccup and Grole got everyone into the Great Hall. It had taken Hiccup 2 hours to finally spill the beans on the fate of Riker. He thought that if he didn't accept Riker's death, then maybe it didn't really happen. He was only kidding himself.

Hiccup took his seat beside Astrid and Dane at the dragon rider's table, the one closest to Grole. The chief of the island stood up on the podium with sunken shoulders and sorrow-filled eyes. It was like the life was rudely and suddenly taken from him.

Murmuring vikings were hushed when Grole held up his hand, he was ready to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some... unfortunate, news to announce. This one has done a number on me and I'm sure it'll do a number on you as well. But, don't fret, we're vikings! We can, and will, overcome anything life throws at us!" Grole pumped his fist into the air at the end of his small speech. The act was met with the entire Hall of vikings.

Grole rolled his shoulders, he wanted to stand tall and strong to tell this next part, maybe it would help the other vikings not get so down. It was his job now to lead them and he was going to do it the same way that Riker would've done it.

"Riker has ran this village for only a year, but he has done more than any of us could have asked for. It is, to my regret, to inform you all that he will no longer be leading us," Grole said. That last statement made the crowd hush, waiting for him to continue. "Riker... is dead."

Later that day, a ceremony was held of the Walker.

"Come on guys, we gotta go," Fishlegs said to the group, but mostly to a grieving Hiccup. Astrid was there, doing what she could to comfort him.

It was hard for Astrid to tell what Dane was thinking, but she could have sworn she saw him fold his arms and shake his head. Almost like he was... disappointed. Astrid brushed it off.

They took off into the black sky, they would reach Berk in the morning.

The first rays of the sun beat over the horizon as the riders touched down in the middle of the cove. They couldn't land in the village for fear of being shot by an arrow, even though Berk hadn't been raided in years. But, the people still weren't thrilled with the thought of having those beasts roaming around the island.

Hiccup's boots hit the earth with a thud. He had flown the entire time without making a sound. Astrid had tried her best to get him out of this funk he put himself into, but to no avail. Dane said that Hiccup did this when the other Riders died, Astrid also heard him mutter something beneath his breath. Something told Astrid that Hiccup and Dane's relationship wasn't all that great. Without a word, Hiccup headed off into the direction of the village.

He was still terrified of seeing his father, but he wasn't thinking straight. He just walked through the forest, Astrid and the others trailing behind him. The dragons might have stayed behind, but Hiccup didn't know. Astrid came up beside him and took his hand in hers. Hiccup didn't react.

"You need to snap out of this," Astrid said as the two walked side by side. Hiccup just kept his gaze out for oncoming, low hanging branches.

"I miss them, too. But, you can't go into Berk looking like... this," Astrid continued, waving her hand up and down Hiccup's body. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"You just gestured to all of me," Hiccup retorted sarcastically.

"I'm just saying. You've been gone for years, you want them to think this is how you've been living?" Hiccup didn't have an answer.

The group broke through the treeline and entered the village. They continued into the heart of the island that held the island's market. Astrid turned around and saw Hiccup, standing at the treeline, staring straight ahead. She sighed and went back over to him.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Hiccup seemed to grow nervous all of a sudden.

"What!? Noth- nothing's wrong. I'm Hiccup, Dragon King! I'm not scared," he said crossing his arms. Astrid smiled.

"I didn't ask if you were scared." Hiccup's eyes went wide. They darted back and forth, Hiccup trying to come up with an answer.

"Look, Hiccup, everything is going to be fine. Stoick really does miss you," Astrid said. "Now, stop being a baby and let's go. You should be able to get to his house before the village starts to wake up." Hiccup grew stiff and Astrid rolled his eyes. You would think that after everything Hiccup has gone through, he would have grown some kind of backbone.

Astrid just realized how filthy Hiccup looked. While puberty has done a number of things on him it didn't fix all of the filth it seemed he's been rolling around in. Astrid took a sniff and realized just how much he stank.

"Oh my. Hiccup, when was the last time you took a bath?" Hiccup gave her a questioning look, but quickly understood why she asked, he really did reek.

"I've been running for months. All the while trying to prevent war, find out who took over half my dragon followers and make sure the kids a rescued were well off. Excuse me if I put a bath at the bottom of the list," Hiccup said. Astrid licked her fingers and went to work on his hair, much to Hiccup's disagreement.

"What... are you... doing?" Hiccup said while trying to bat away Astrid's hands.

"Would you quit being a baby," she said. "I can't believe it, I'm only now seeing how filthy you really are."

The group watched this all unfold, their arms crossed across their chest. They were slightly annoyed. Dane gave an exasperated sigh.

"Love... sucks," he said. Fishlegs scratched his forehead.

"When it comes to those two," he said.

"Would you quit it?" Hiccup said as Astrid finally let her hands drop, seemingly satisfied.

"We should really do something about your hair..." Astrid trailed off. "Maybe we could cut it..."

"No!" Hiccup said a little to loudly. "You're not cutting my hair."

"Why?"

"Two reasons: one, like my hair the way it is..."

"Looking like a mop?"

"Ignoring that. And two, I don't trust you near my neck with sharp objects." Astrid seemed a little hurt.

"Sorry, I just don't. I've seen what you do to trees with your axe when you're mad," Hiccup said.

"Well, maybe we could braid it..."

"Let's go, shall we? My dad won't come to me," Hiccup said quickly. He walked passed Astrid and headed into the village.

"Hiccup and Astrid sitting in a tree, K.I. S.S.I.N..."

"Shut it Dane," Hiccup said, interrupting Dane's little song. They both just chuckled and followed Hiccup towards his dad's house.

Hiccup stared at the oak door that separated him from his father. Taking a deep breath, he knocked. Moments later, the door swung open, revealing a large man. Hiccup gulped and Stoick's eyes widen.

"Hic- Hiccup?" The man said in a voice that was barely audible.

"Dad..." Hiccup said, trailing off.

Dane squinted bad eyes and looked between Hiccup and Stoick. Then, without warning, blurted out.

"Grandfather!"

* * *

A/N: _Thank's to my beta readers, mycove and NightshadeFromSweden! Hoped you enjoyed, if you did, then please leave a review!_


	8. ACT II: Chapter 2- They

A/N: _Happy Easter! Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

_How To Find A Hiccup_

* * *

_ACT II: Berk_

_Chapter 2_

_'They're Back'_

Hiccup and Stoick stared at each other. Hiccup not sure what to do, this situation was very awkward. And Stoick not believing his son had finally come home. The riders stood back, watching and feeling much like Hiccup, not sure what to do.

"Sooo..." Hiccup began, breaking the silence, but Stoick cut him off by enveloping him into a bone-crushing hug. The wind successfully escaping from his lungs.

"Dad, can't... breathe," Hiccup gasped. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard Toothless growl at the man. Stoick released him and gave hearty laugh.

"Hiccup!" He boomed. "Look at you, all grown up." Stoick laughed again and Hiccup gave a laugh that he often did when he was shy or uncomfortable. The large chief stepped aside.

"Come in, come in," Stoick said, his arm outstretched into the house. Hiccup smiled awkwardly and entered, the riders following suite. Dane was the last one in.

"And you're Dane, I presume?" Stoick asked. Dane nodded.

"Yes, sir," He said proudly.

"Ah. Nice to meet you." Dane bowed his head slightly and entered the house.

Hiccup sat at the table, Astrid beside him. The other riders and Dane stood behind them. Stoick sat at the opposite side of the table, his chair screeching against the floor as he scooted it closer to the table. Another awkward silence followed. Dane stretched up towards Fishlegs.

"Is it always like this?" Dane whispered. Fishlegs shrugged one shoulder.

"I don't really know," Fish whispered. "But it seems like it." Stoick scooted his chair even closer to the table.

"With you traveling all over the world, we finally have something to talk about," Stoick said hoping he and Hiccup would finally have something to discuss. They were very distant, the events with Scale didn't help either. A few moments passed with no one saying anything and Hiccup doing his best to avert his eyes from Stoick's glare. Snotlout cleared his throat.

"Well, I think I'm going to..." He began but trailed off. Fishlegs picked up where Snotlout ended.

"Yep, we're going to go. See you later." The riders and Dane headed out to the plaza, leaving Hiccup, Astrid and Stoick alone. With Toothless acting like a shadow in the background, watching the whole thing with large, green eyes.

Stoick cleared his throat.

"Oh, well... alright then. I left your room untouched just in case... you know..." Stoick took a deep breath. Why was it so hard to talk to Hiccup? "You ever came home." He finished. Hiccup's eyes widened. He kinda thought Stoick would burn everything he owned once he left. Maybe he didn't give the man enough credit as a father... or as a man for that matter.

"Really?" Hiccup asked. Stoick nodded.

"Go look if you don't believe me," Stoick chuckled, gesturing to the Hiccup's old room in the process. Hiccup's face lit up like a child's on Snoggletog morning. He wasn't excited to see his old room, but it was more of his father seeming to want him back. If that was the case, then Hiccup would definitely have to take him up on his offer. He would have to settle the matter with King first, of course. And, then there was that thing with the villagers possibly hating him.

Without wasting a second, Hiccup pushed his chair back and ran upstairs, successfully making Astrid giggle in the process. Stoick gave her a funny look.

"You're not going soft, are you Astrid?" Stoick asked. Astrid blushed.

"No! Of course not." Stoick chuckled.

"You're a better fighter than liar, Astrid." Astrid sighed.

"Stupid Hiccup." Stoick laughed again. He hadn't felt this good in ages. His son was home and all was finally well.

(~)(~)(~)

Raden sat on Berk's beach at the back end of the island. He was here to do a deed that had him torn up inside. The kid was forced to make a difficult decision, a decision that would change the outcome of the war forever. King wanted him to capture each of Hiccup's friends and family, or else Raden would become an orphan. With his own family being held captive he didn't have much of a choice.

Raden sighed for the umpteenth time since he arrived. King had him transported alone on one of his own dragons, so that way Hiccup couldn't use the Dragon Line to realize he was coming.

Raden just sat there, poking in the sand... waiting. The bushes behind Raden shook and he snapped his head around. Behind the bushes out walked the devil himself...

(~)(~)(~)

Hiccup rummaged through his room. He honestly thought he would never seen it again. All of his books and drawing were untouched, which meant they were thrown all over the place. He stood back to admire his room, he couldn't believe that his dad did all of this.

Hiccup sat on his bed. Something was hard underneath his covers. Without second guessing himself, Hiccup yanked the covers off of the object. A small book sat facing up, staring at Hiccup, begging him to open it. Who was he to ignore it?

Hiccup flipped through the pages, his eyes brimming with tears. All of his old drawings of Toothless were sewn into a single book. Stoick must have gone through the pages at his little workshop in Gobber's forge and put them into a single book. Everything was in there, from his very first sketches of Toothless, to his beta designs on the dragon's tail fin. It was incredible.

Hiccup walked down the stairs to where Stoick and Astrid were sitting, the book tucked away in his leather armor. Astrid telling Stoick all that she knew of the situation Hiccup had gotten himself into. Stoick chuckled when he saw Hiccup.

"Looks like you still can't keep yourself out of trouble," he said. Hiccup gave a small laugh and rubbed his chin.

"Guess not." The room fell into a comfortable silence. Everyone enjoying the rare, sane, moment that seemed to be avoiding them. But, the village was slowly awaking. The other riders were already back at their own homes, reuniting with their families and Hiccup knew it would soon be time to face a large crowd of angry vikings. Not. Fun.

Hiccup had to ask a favor of his father though, first.

"Astrid, why don't you go find your mother. I have something I need to ask... my father," Hiccup asked Astrid. The boy didn't seem to notice, but Stoick beamed when he called him his father. Astrid smiled and nodded. The door closed quietly behind her.

Hiccup took a seat in front of Stoick.

"So, what's on your mind?" Stoick asked, thrilled that Hiccup was actually talking to him. Before Scale, Hiccup and Stoick kinda avoided each other. And, when they did talk, it was often harsh words. But, this was a clean start for father and son.

"I... need your help... with something." Stoick leaned closer a little and motioned him to continue. "When Astrid and the others came to find me they had a little run in with King. He's..."

"Yes, I know who he is. Astrid filled me in on everything."

"Oh, so you know about their dragons?" Stoick furrowed his brow.

"No. I can't say that I do."

"Well, King still has them. I don't have enough man power to lift them, because they're too weak to move, and I was kinda hoping you and a few men would help me rescue them."

"That's asking a lot. I would help, but I'm not sure I could get enough men too."

"Yeah, I know. People are probably going to hate me. It's just that... I hate having Astrid go through all of this. If Toothless was trapped by that mad man I would be having a melt down. I know Astrid is torn up on the inside," Hiccup said, his glare falling to his hands on the table. "And it is my fault they're there."

Stoick sighed.

"One thing at a time," he said. "But, I think we should introduce you to the rest of the village. You can't hide forever." Hiccup rubbed his eyes to get the sleep out of them, he was exhausted.

"Listen," Hiccup said. "I would take whatever punishment that they call for. Anything short of death, that is. But, I can't stay coped up here while King is off doing who knows what! I have a lot more responsibilities outside of Berk."

Stoick rubbed his beard. Hiccup must have really dug himself into quite the hole.

"Why don't we..." was all the time Stoick had to say until the door swung open, slamming against the wall. Gobber stood on the other side.

"Ha ha! It is true! I knew Astrid wasn't lying!" The blacksmith shouted with joy as he hobbled over to Hiccup. With his good hand, Gobber gave him a forceful slap on the back.

"Look at you!" Gobber exclaimed. "The years sure have been good for you!" Gobber laughed again and Hiccup smiled sheepishly. Gobber's happiness and joy seemed to disappear and is face grew serious. He stared at Hiccup for a moment. Hiccup himself was taken back by Gobber's sudden change in mood. But, Hiccup was quickly yanked out of his chair by the blacksmith. Gobber enveloped him into a great bear hug, nearly crushing him.

"I missed you," Gobber said. Hiccup was gasping for breath and Stoick laughed.

"Alright, Gobber, I think you made your point," Stoick chuckled. Gobber released Hiccup, but gave him another good slap on the arm for good measures. The force from the 'friendly' slap nearly knocked the young dragon king over.

"So, what have you been up to, lad?" Gobber asked. "I want to hear all about your crazy adventures."

"All in good time, Gobber," Hiccup said. "But there are other matters to attend to first." Gobber seemed a little deflated, but quickly regained his happy-go-lucky self.

"Well, look at you, going to be a great chief one day with that attitude," Gobber chuckled again, but Hiccup seemed to pale. Stoick seemed to notice, but before he could speak the door opened again.

"What happened to knocking?" Stoick asked, frustrated. It was Dane.

"Sorry, but I just thought that Boss Man would like to know of an angry mob that's coming here... NOW!" Hiccup paled even more. He was right, it was foolish to come back here. _Dang it Astrid!_ Hiccup thought.

"Come on, Toothless, we have to go," Hiccup said to his dragon, then turned to Stoick. "Try to calm the mob, I'll be back." With that, Hiccup and Toothless ran out the back door, not looking back. Stoick stood up and went outside, Dane and Gobber behind him.

"Where is he, Stoick," Shouted Mildew. Dane stepped back in disgust. His face full of revolt.

"Dude, how old are you?" He asked, eying Mildew up and down. The old man just scowled at him and went back to Stoick.

"We know the traitor's back, the Thorston twins kept blabbering about it!" Mildew yelled, leaning on his staff a little more. The whole rant was even more exhausting than he thought.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Hiccup has been gone for five years, you crazy old man," Stoick shot back, crossing his arms. Mildew groaned.

"He's here, Stoick, and we will find him," Mildew said, referring to the angry mob behind him. They turned around and walked back down the hill, leaving Stoick, Gobber and Dane staring at their backs.

"Blasted boy," Mildew muttered under his breath. "What's it going to take to get rid of him? If an arrow didn't work then what will?"

"Boss Man pissed them off," Dane muttered to himself, Gobber nodded in approval.

"You can't blame them though, that's the sad part," Gobber said. Stoick agreed.

"When do you think he'll be back?" Stoick asked. Neither Dane or Gobber knew the answer. Dane suddenly clutched the bridge of his nose in pain.

"What happened to you?" Gobber asked. Dane shook his head, letting his hand drop, but the pain still remained.

"From time to time I get a headache. Hiccup's an OK healer, but he can't figure out why I get them so often," Dane said, shaking his head slightly like it'll help make the pain go away.

(~)(~)(~)

"Well Toothless, here we are," Hiccup said as he and Toothless dropped down into the cove. Hiccup spun around, taking in the scene in its entirety. This cove was where it all started. Hiccup sometimes wondered if what this place did start was good or bad, but every time he looked at Toothless, he decided it was worth it. Every bad thing that happened to them was worth it.

Toothless nudged Hiccup's side, bringing him out of his trance.

"Oh, sorry bud. Guess we'll be staying here for a while."

"_It's been a while, since we've been to this place,_" Toothless said. Hiccup nodded.

"So, we have some time, what should we do?" Toothless gave a long yawn in reply and Hiccup chuckled. "I agree, sleep sounds like a good idea."

Toothless warmed up the ground around him with a small, steady stream of fire before making himself comfortable. Hiccup positioned himself on his wing. Many nights were spent like this, only now they were sleeping early in the morning, with an angry mob after them. Just like good old times. The best friends were asleep in seconds.

(~)(~)(~)

Astrid had been looking for Hiccup ever since she became aware of the mob. After paying a quick visit to the Thorston twins to... 'tell,' them what a horribly stupid mistake they had made, Astrid took off into the woods. She had a pretty good idea as to where Hiccup would be.

She crept through the woods, being as quiet as possible. If Hiccup heard her he might take off, fearing the mob was onto him.

Astrid came to the edge of the cove and peered over. It had been a while since she was here and a wave of memories washed over her. From Hiccup taking off after he had placed first in dragons training. To where Scale was finally defeated. That day was both the best and worst day of her life. Hundreds of lives were saved, but the one she cared about the most had left. And now, he was here again... SLEEPING?!

Astrid groaned deep in her throat. Hiccup had an angry mob chasing him and he was dozing?! She shook her head and dropped down into the cove, kicking up loose stones and sending them to the ground below in the process. Her feet hit the ground with a thud. She wasn't trying to be quiet, it wasn't like he was going to hear her.

She kicked him in the side. Hiccup jerked awake, but calmed once he realized it was just Astrid.

"Well, don't you know how to wake someone up," he commented, closing his eyes and bringing his head to rest on his hands. Astrid rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Astrid asked, irritated. Hiccup sometimes envied Toothless's ability to tune out noise when he was sleeping. He did, however, always know when Hiccup was in trouble. Guess the dragon didn't think Astrid was a threat, to Hiccup's regret.

"Taking a well deserved nap. You should get some sleep, too."

"Why? Because I'm mad?"

"No, because it's been close to twenty-four hours since you have. It's not healthy to go that long without sleep." Astrid crossed her arms.

"You have an angry mob after you and you're... Sleeping!?"

"Yes." Astrid sighed.

"Aren't you scared that they'll find you?"

"No."

"Oh come on."

"What?"

"I-I..." Astrid groaned and rubbed her forehead.

"I knew people here would probably try to kill me."

"Then why did you agree to come back here?"

"Two reasons. One; you made it sound like all was forgiven. Two; it is very hard to say no to you."

"And why is that?"

"Well, you asked me after you found me in the cave." Hiccup cracked an eye open, a smirk played across his face. Astrid couldn't help but laugh a little, a blush gracing her cheeks.

"Has anyone found this place before you left?" Hiccup asked.

"No."

"Then we're safe," Hiccup held out his hand. "Care to join me for a much deserved rest, milady?" Astrid sighed in defeat and accepted his offer of sleep. She took his hand and laid down beside him on Toothless wing, using Hiccup's chest as a pillow. The two were asleep in seconds.

* * *

A/N:_ Hope you enjoyed. And, sorry for the wait, things should go back to normal and I should be able to update more often._

_Thank you mycove and NightshadeFromSweden for fixing the many mistakes I may have made in this chapter!_


	9. ACT II: Chapter 3- Mob- Dragon Proposal

A/N: _Well, things pick up in this chapter, even if it is shorter then the others. I'm going to thank my beta's mycove and NightshadeFromSweden upfront. Thanks and enjoy the chapter._

* * *

_How To Find A Hiccup_

* * *

_ACT II: Berk_

_Chapter 3_

_'Mob And... A Dragon Proposal?'_

Raden knelt in the bushes of Berk's forest, a slight wind was rolling the leaves high above him. Dane crouched beside him. The two were spying down into the cove where Hiccup and Astrid slept on Toothless's wing.

Raden hated himself right now. Here he was, spying on his leader. He shook his head, disappointed in himself. Dane eyed the couple with hate.

"If you don't mind me asking," Raden said in a whisper and shifting his weight to make himself more comfortable. The leaves crunched beneath his feet.

"Shut up," Dane added forcefully. Raden gave him a bored expression and turned his attention back to the Cove where Hiccup, Astrid and Toothless were sleeping. Completely unaware of the two teens watching them.

"What did Hiccup do to make you hate him so much?" Raden questioned, ignoring Dane telling him to clam up. He groaned in response.

"Hiccup... killed my family."

(~)(~)(~)

Hiccup was extremely sore. He tried moving, but found that he couldn't. Slowly coming to his senses, Hiccup cracked a tired eye open, a ringing in his ears left him deaf to the world around him. An unpleasant scene met his blurred gaze.

He was in the Great Hall. Stoick stood in front of him, but he was off to his left allowing Hiccup to see the entire village of Berk. They were all crowded in the Hall and they were not happy. The ringing in his ears began to die down, allowing the roar of the angry vikings to pierce his ear drums. He wished the ringing was still there.

Still shocked and slightly disorientated, Hiccup tried to remember what had happened. Small flashes appeared in his mind, from him being jolted awake to being hit on the head with a club. Yep, no doubt the mob had found him and Astrid. But, how _did_ they find them?

Where was Astrid? Hiccup tried to move to find her, but found he was tied to a chair. Only his neck had the freedom to move. Astrid sat beside him, immobilized to a chair similar to the way he was.

"Hey," he said groggily. Astrids head was bleeding slightly and it was only then Hiccup realized that a small trickle of blood ran down the side of his cheek. Guess she had been knocked out similar to how he was.

Astrid scowled at him.

"What?" Hiccup asked. Astrid just shook her head and turned back to the angry village. Stoick was having trouble getting them to calm down.

Hiccup's eyes widened.

"Where's Dane and Toothless?!" He screamed to the crowd. They paid him no attention, he turned to Astrid. Her face softened.

"I don't know what happened to them. Like you, I woke up here," she said. Hiccup growled deep in his throat. There were few things that sent Hiccup over the edge. Messing with people he loved was one of those things.

"Hiccup?" Astrid questioned noticing Hiccup's strange personality. She hadn't seen him look like this since... "Scale?" She asked, scared and hesitant.

"No. Not Scale," Hiccup said. "Just a pissed Hiccup."

Hiccup's leather armor had many secret compartments and was made way more complicated than it should have been. But, Hiccup couldn't help himself.

While his wrists were bound together to the back of the chair, his fingers were free. Using his middle finger, he pressed it against his bounded wrists, hitting a secret button. A small knife popped out farther up his forearm, cutting the rope and freeing his wrists. With one slice, his legs were free and he stood up.

"He's loose," a random viking yelled as Hiccup cut Astrid free. She made sure to give him a good punch in the shoulder.

"Better?" Hiccup asked her, rubbing his, now sore, shoulder. Astrid smirked. The two stood beside Stoick, facing the fuming mob.

"Hey," Hiccup said to his father.

"You feeling alright?" Stoick asked. "I had nothing to do with..." Hiccup held up his hand to silence his father. A high pitched whistled emitted from his mouth, silencing the angry crowd. Hiccup chuckled.

"Works on dragons and vikings," Hiccup whispered to himself.

"Now," Hiccup yelled. "What is the means for tying me and my, lovely, Valkyrie to a chair?" Hiccup didn't know it, but he had both flattered and embarrassed Astrid.

"You set war to the archipelago!" A viking yelled.

"For, like, 10 minutes," Hiccup countered.

"Do you know how many lives were lost?" Another viking yelled. Hiccup rubbed his forehead, paling slightly. He was at a lost for words.

"Yeah, I guess I should... apologize..." he trailed off.

"You should do more than that. You should be executed for your crimes!" The hall erupted into another frenzy.

"Where's Toothless and Dane?" Hiccup asked Stoick. "I need to get out of here before they DO kill me." Stoick rubbed his forehead, thinking. The crowd began getting restless, shouting and demanding for Hiccup's head. In return, Hiccup paled even more. He had so much on his plate it wasn't even funny.

With Berk breathing down his neck, King trying to kill him, hundreds of kids he had to look after, and then there was Astrid...

_Oh crap_, Hiccup thought.

An ax flew out from the crowd of vikings. The weapon heading straight at Hiccup's head. He caught it and the crowd went silent. That ax was going fast... very fast.

"Now!" Hiccup yelled, wielding the ax. "I understand why you all are here and I understand why you all are mad at me. I do not blame you. But, there is another matter far outside this place that threatens the sake of the world! If you do not want anymore bloodshed, then step aside and let me finish off this threat once and for all!" Hiccup was livid! He hadn't felt this much rage since he was corrupted by Scale. He must have had been burying more feelings then he thought and they all just bubbled to the surface. He felt better after his outburst, but was still in a mood that said, 'don't mess with me.'

Hiccup stepped off the small podium he was standing on and walked toward the Great Hall's exit. The vikings making a path for him. They knew what Hiccup was capable of, Scale proved that. So, if he said that something was up, something bad, then they best let him take care of it... then they could kill him.

But, a wooden staff blocked his path right before he could push open the doors. Mildew was not about to let him pass.

"Where do you think you're going, boy?" He asked. Hiccup growled deep in his throat.

"Where's Dane and Toothless?" Hiccup asked with a death tone.

"Prison." Hiccup breathed deeply. At least they were alive. "They know you so, like you, are enemies of Berk. The village has called for their heads as well." Wrong thing to say. Hiccup snatched Mildews staff out of his grasp and broke it over his knee. Grabbing Mildew by the collar of his shirt, he forced him against a thick beam.

The crowd began to move in, but Astrid and Stoick were there, holding them back as best they could.

"You listen here, old man, there is something out there. Something you've never faced before. And unless you want that coming here, then I suggest you stay out of my way. I know why you all here hate me, but I can't do anything about that now! King is building an army to wipe us all out and I'm the only one who can stop him!" Hiccup stormed out of the Hall leaving Mildew stunned and shaken.

Astrid followed, leaving Stoick to clear things up with the village.

"Hiccup! Wait up," Astrid called. Hiccup wasn't running, but he wasn't going slow. His direction was aimed straight toward Berk's jail cells.

"What?" Hiccup asked with irritation in his voice as Astrid caught up to him.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Astrid rolled her eyes.

"That little show you put on in the Great Hall, what the heck!" Hiccup stood in front of her.

"Look, I know that wasn't the best thing in the world for me to do. But there might not be a world for us to live in if we don't stop King," he said.

"Then why did you come back here? We could have taken care of King and _then_ come back." Hiccup sighed, but didn't answer. "Come on, tell me. Why did you agree to come back?" Hiccup seemed to have lost his intensity and went back to being his calm, hiccupy self. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted

"I'll give you a hint," a familiar voice said. "She wares a spiked skirt, has blonde hair and wields a double sided battle ax," Dane walked up to them, Toothless by his side. The kid tossed Hiccup a small box. "I also believe he came here for that."

Hiccup eyed the small box. He knew what was inside it... a ring.

"How did you get out of..." Astrid began, not noticing Hiccup ogling the box. Dane cut her off.

"Fish came by and got us out." Astrid turned back to Hiccup who looked up at her with a blush.

"Well...?" Dane said, trailing off. "That was what you wanted, right? Because I did not break into her room for nothing." Dane chuckled. "Speaking of which, you won't believe what drawer she had that in."

"OK!" Astrid yelled and took a step closer to Dane. The boy gave a yelp and ran away, leaving Astrid and Hiccup alone. Toothless eyeing them from a distance.

"_Come on, Hiccup, now's your chance before something else goes horribly wrong,_" Toothless said. Hiccup, despite himself, chuckled.

"Uhh..." Hiccup didn't know what to do. Astrid seemed to notice the small box for the first time and blushed.

"So," she said. This whole situation quickly grew awkward. Toothless sighed, this was going to go nowhere. Why did he have to do everything?

Toothless sauntered over to Hiccup's side. Using his tail, the dragon swatted Hiccup behind his knee, forcing him down into a kneeling position. With his snout, Toothless directed Hiccup's hand (the one holding the box) up a little bit and flicked it open. Hiccup was now in a perfect position to 'propose' thanks to his dragon.

It happened so fast that Hiccup didn't know what happened until he was in a kneeling position.

"_Useless human,_" Toothless said as he sat beside his friend. Hiccup laughed as did Astrid, but hers was due to another reason.

"How do I say this..." Hiccup said.

"I think it goes something like, 'will you marry me?'" Hiccup snapped his head around to see non-other than Dane, being a smart mouth.

"Good bye, Dane," Hiccup said. Dane gave a thumbs up and left... again. "That boy," Hiccup said to himself. He cleared his throat.

"OK, right, before we get interrupted again and before Toothless loses his patience, let's get this show on the road," Hiccup said. He was utterly panicking. He'd faced danger and death and nothing was more nerve wrecking than watching his Walker friends dying in battle. But this, this was something he almost couldn't handle. He _could not_ handle it in fact. He zoned out, thinking of everything that was impossible (and bad) was going to happen. Only when Toothless slapped him over the head with his tail did Hiccup come back to reality.

"_Your soon-to-be-fiance is waiting for you to propose,_" Toothless said. Astrid stood where she was, a hand over her mouth. This wasn't the way she imagined this moment, but, to be fair, it didn't seem to be the way Hiccup had meant for it to happen either. Now that it was happening, however, she didn't really mind it.

Hiccup cleared his throat again and took a deep breath. He was thankful that most of Berk was at the Great Hall for this moment. But, little did he know Phlegma was peeking around the corner of a house, watching.

"Astrid Hofferson," he began. _Oh crap, _he though, _this is going to be hard_. "I've known you all of my life. At first, I admired you from afar, wishing to be you. Then, when I got older, I wanted to be friends. and soon I became even more selfish and wanted to be more.

After we've dated for a few months I knew I wanted to be with you forever," _almost there._ "But then, Scale ruined it all. And now here we are, five years apart has torn me up on the inside and I... well, I never want to spend another moment of my life without you beside me. Astrid," _gulp,_ "will you... marry me?"

(~)(~)(~)

Dane watched from afar as Astrid nodded yes to Hiccup's question. He watched as Toothless pushed her into Hiccup's arms. It made him sick, but happy. Once he captured Astrid it would hurt Hiccup all the more. That was the reason he made Hiccup propose.

He disappeared into the bushes and back into Berk's thick woods.

Berk had no clue that their greatest enemy was now living among them, rounding up each of the Dragon Riders.

Dane walked to the far side of the island where a secluded beach was. He hadn't planned on finding a beach there, but it worked out for him. Raden, his right hand by force, was there to greet him.

"You've got him?" Dane asked. Raden sighed and made a sweeping motion with his hand, stopping at Fishlegs. He was tied up with chains and his mouth was gagged.

Dane walked over to him and knelt beside him. He chuckled.

"I'm surprised Raden could drag your fat bum over here," Dane chuckled. Fishlegs seemed to grow sad. "What's the matter?" Dane tilted his head in fake concern.

"I didn't drag him here," Raden said. "He's mad because I outsmarted him." Dane turned towards him.

"How did you manage that?"

"Told him to follow me, it was an emergency." Dane laughed at Fishlegs's gullibility.

"You idiot!" He exclaimed and laughed harder. He wiped the tears out of his eye. "Good work, Raden." Dane took a deep breath and regained himself.

"I'm off to Berk's healers, Stoick said they're really good. Maybe they can fix my eyesight," Dane said. "Thanks for freeing me Fishlegs." Dane slapped him on the arm. He turned and started to walk back into the forest, but Raden stopped him.

"Won't they arrest you again?" He asked.

"No. It seems like Hiccup cleared things up. Oh, by the way, I thought you would like to know that I have a new mother." Raden knew what he meant. Dane looked back at Fishlegs who was eyeing them. "Almost forgot." Dane walked back to his prisoner. Raising his boot, Dane stomped on Fishlegs's head, sending him into the black pit of unconsciousness.


	10. ACT II: Chapter 4- Twins

A/N: _Hello! If you are still reading my story then I thank you. No, really, THANK YOU! I really appreciate it. Sorry for the wait, but here's the next chapter! Enjoy!_

* * *

_How To Find A Hiccup_

* * *

_ACT II: Berk_

_Chapter 4_

_'Twins'_

"_Well it's about time,_" Toothless said. Hiccup chuckled. He had his arm around his new fiancee who was admiring her new ring. Hiccup couldn't help but notice she was trying not to cry.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" A voice screamed behind them, making the couple jump and Toothless laugh. Phlegma all but ran up and hugged her daughter, she happily returned the favor. Hiccup clutched his chest.

"Scare me to death why won't ya," he said, Phlegma chuckled.

"Sorry, dear," she hugged her soon-to-be-son-in-law. "I was afraid I'd have to marry Astrid off to someone she didn't like," Phlegma stated, pulling away from the hug after a moment. "But, I'm glad I didn't have to do that." She laughed.

"Me too," Hiccup said, smiling and looking at Astrid. For once in a long while, Hiccup forgot about his troubles and was just enjoying the moment.

Phlegma led them to her house to whip them up a celebratory dinner. Toothless waited outside, hiding in the brush and keeping watch for the angry mob. He hated this place. He saw it as an evil island that was always mean to his friend and now they wanted to hurt him again. Toothless wasn't here when Hiccup was getting bullied or picked on, but he was here now. And no one was going to lay a hand on his master. That incident in the cove hurt Toothless, he let the bad people hurt his Hiccup, that just increased his protection instincts. So, Toothless laid in watch in the brush beside Phlegma's house.

Phlegma frantically walked around the kitchen grabbing pots and pans and herbs and spices. Anything that could be used to make food. For a moment, Phlegma disappeared into a small room at the back of the house. Hiccup and Astrid took the time to take a seat at the table.

They were still kind of in a shock-and-awe state about the engagement. Hiccup's was due to the fact that Astrid had actually said yes and he now had someone else to please and look after. And Astrid's was due to the fact that she was getting married. For most of her life she just wanted to be a shield maiden, but now she was giddy with excitement. Hiccup made sure to bring that up a few times, though it didn't seem to bother her like it would have years ago.

"Guess I can live being married to you," she would say. Hiccup smiled every time. Astrid loved his smile, even if most people saw it as goofy, it was just... Hiccup.

Phlegma came back into the kitchen with a freshly plucked chicken. She wasted no time in starting to cook it over a fire. The fire pit was in the middle of the house with a wooden couch beside it. The only other furniture was the table and a few chairs.

"Really, Ms. Hofferson, you don't need to cook anything," Hiccup said, being his polite self. It definitely wasn't due to the womans ability to cook, she was amazing at it.

"Nonsense!" She exclaimed. "My daughter is getting married, she deserves it, as do you. I'm not sure how the marriage is going to work out, considering Berk's feelings towards you, so this will have to do." Hiccup smiled sheepishly when she brought up Berk and how the people felt about him. Astrid put a hand over top of his.

"We'll figure it out. Promise," she said. Phlegma chuckled.

"You'd better," she joked. "You are getting married one way or the other, whether it be to Hiccup or someone else."

"Well, it's a good thing I got her first," Hiccup said. Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it is," Phlegma agreed. With everything set and cooking, Phlegma joined the couple at the table.

"We should get your friends here as well, tell them the big news and finish the day with a feast. Just between us, of course," Astrid said.

"And my father and Gobber?" Hiccup asked. Astrid nodded.

"Of course," she said.

"Great idea!" Phlegma said. "I'll have to start cooking more though." Phlegma started another frantic mission around the kitchen gathering anything she could use to make food. Hiccup felt like he had to help, he couldn't let her slave over him. Call it what you want, but he was just like that.

"You need any help, Ms. Hofferson?" Hiccup asked, standing up. Phlegma looked at him, but shook her head, no.

"Not in here, why don't you go gather everyone and bring them here. Assuming you're OK with going out into the village. Because, you know, the villagers." Phlegma said. She went back to gathering food supplies.

"Yeah... yes of course we can go get the others. Coming, milady?" Hiccup said, offering his hand to Astrid. She gladly took it. The two exited the house, Phlegma smiling at them until they left.

It seemed like Stoick had lost his villagers as they were flooding out of the Great Hall. They walked passed Hiccup and Astrid with scowls on their faces. They weren't going to like it when they heard the news that their most feared warrior (Astrid) was getting married to an outlaw and a murderer (Hiccup). Hiccup sighed, he really messed up.

"Ah! There ye are," Gobber said, walking up to the couple. "Where'd you run off..." Gobber couldn't finish. Astrid shoved her hand with the ringed finger into his face.

"Hiccup and I are getting married!" She exclaimed a little quickly. Gobber smiled.

" 'Bout time, though I wouldn't think you'd do it when everyone hates Hiccup," Gobber chuckled. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Well, to be fair-" Dane said, walking to the three grownups. A few vikings bumped into him on purpose. "- They weren't really planning on it. I love getting Boss Man into embarrassing situations." Hiccup laughed. That was Dane's favorite thing to do.

"So, I'm guessing you said yes?" Dane asked Astrid. She nodded.

"Guess you're going to have a mother," she teased. Dane did his best to put on a happy face.

"I'll have to make up a nickname for you to then, I suppose," Dane said. "Anyway, I'm off to the healers to see if they can't fix my eyesight." With that, Dane headed off, Hiccup yelling to meet them at Phlegma's house before it got dark.

"Where is it?" He called back. Hiccup told him the general direction of the house.

"Just keep an eye out for Toothless," Hiccup called. Dane gave him a thumbs up and walked off.

(~)(~)(~)

"Has anyone seen Fishlegs!" Hiccup all but yelled to the dragon riders. The group had already checked the woods and were double checking the village. For some reason the large viking was nowhere to be found. Hiccup even checked the skies on Toothless. Nothing. He even checked the secluded beach on the far side of the island, still nothing. Not even a trace.

Hiccup ran his fingers through his hair.

"What's so important anyway?" Tuff asked in his laid back, uncaring way.

"You'll never find out if we can't find the fat..." Hiccup began, but was cut off.

"Hiccup!" Astrid exclaimed. He looked at Astrid apologetically.

"Sorry. It's just that I'm a little peeved. Your mother is going to be done cooking any minute now, and we still have to find Fishlegs," he said, heaving a sigh at the end of his speech.

They were in the middle of the village. Toothless came bounding up to them. He gave Hiccup a nice lick across the face, as if to say hello.

"What are you doing, Toothless? You should be hiding," Hiccup said, wiping the saliva off his face.

"_Got bored. You've been gone forever_," Toothless said.

"Well, you're going to have to wait a little longer. We can't find Fish anywhere." Toothless huffed and trotted off without another word.

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that," Hiccup yelled to his friends retreating back. Hiccup groaned, Fishlegs would just have to find out later, he guessed. The group went to look for Stoick and Gobber, who, thankfully, were much easier to find.

(~)(~)(~)

"So, what's the big news?" Gobber asked, though he already knew. He took the last seat at the table. He noticed Hiccup's goofy smile and Astrid seemed like she couldn't sit still. _Odd couple_.

Astrid opened her mouth to speak, but a large racket outside stopped her short.

"I CAAAN SEEEE!" A voice echoed from outside. Hiccup chuckled, it was Dane. The kid burst through the door wearing the biggest smile on his face Hiccup had ever seen.

"Stoick! Your island's healers did it! I can actually see... CLEARLY!" Dane was ecstatic!

"Ha ha! Well, I'm happy they could help you!" Stoick replied.

Dane laughed again and went to stand beside the fire to warm up.

"So, what are we all doing here?" Dane asked, his hands extended towards the fire to warm them up.

"Yes! Seriously, tell us already!" Snotlout said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Well, Astrid, would you like to do the honors?" Hiccup asked. Astrid smiled.

"Me and Hiccup are... (Sneeze)..." Dane wiped his nose.

"Sorry," he said. "Continue." Astrid blew the bangs out of her eye, a little irritated, but continued.

"Hiccup and I," she began, but noticed Dane was about to sneeze again. She shot him a death glare, Dane shut his mouth. "Hiccup and I are getting married!" The room fell silent, the only sound was the crackle of the fire.

"Oh no," Hiccup said under his breath. He was kinda afraid that...

"Noooo!" Snotlout yelled as he dropped onto his knees and screamed at the ceiling. The rest of the house burst into merriment and laughter, except for Stoick.

"Listen, son," he said, but Hiccup cut him off.

"I know, I know. This really isn't the ideal time, but..."

"But I didn't really give him the choice," Dane cut in. Stoick glared at him.

"Why would you do you that? You, out of all people, should understand the problem with this... marriage," Stoick said. It was a good thing Astrid was up and talking to the others, or she might have taken issue with that last statement.

Dane's brow furrowed. This was the first real time he had to come up with a good lie about something. _What did I say before?_ He thought. If it wasn't good enough, then Stoick and Hiccup might keep a closer eye on him. That, and Astrid seemed to already be weary of him.

"Oh, wellll..." He trailed off.

"Dane?" Hiccup asked when Dane didn't finish his thought.

"Oh, I just like getting Hiccup into embarrassing situations. That's all," Dane finished. His eyes darted around the room. "Well, congratulations anyway. I'm going to get something to eat."

Was Hiccup overthinking things, or did Dane seem to be in a hurry to get away? He shook his head and turned back to Stoick. He didn't seem to be any happier. _Great_.

"So what do you want me to do about it?" Hiccup asked in a hushed whisper, leaning a little closer to his father so he could hear.

"Let's talk outside," Stoick said in an equally quiet tone. He got up from the table, as did his son.

"Hey, Astrid, me and my father are going to step outside for a moment," Hiccup called over to her. She spun around and frowned.

"Oh... OK," she said and went back to speaking with her mother and Gobber. Hiccup and Stoick left the house, the door closing quietly behind them.

Hiccup brought his arms up a bit an let them fall down again, slapping against his legs.

"What?" He asked a little irritated. Stoick crossed his arms.

"Call off the engagement," he said in his tone that meant, 'do it now or I'll break you.'

Hiccup felt like his father was looming over him, so he took a step back. He crossed his arms as well, his jaw set and his eyes serious.

"No." He said in a firm, strong voice.

"No?" Stoick pressured. His thick accent, for some reason, made him seem bigger, stronger to Hiccup. But that was the last thing on his mind.

"No. I'm not calling off the engagement. Me and Astrid are getting married one way or another. Whether it be here, or somewhere else. You can help your son, or ignore him like always," Stoick was taking back. There, he brought it up again. The last time Hiccup mentioned him not listening to him was when Scale came back to Berk to compete in the games.

"So," Hiccup continued. "You're going to help, deal?" Hiccup held out his hand for Stoick to shake. He didn't.

"Listen..." Stoick tried.

"No! You listen," Hiccup said a bit to loudly. "Do we have a deal?!" Stoick looked into his son's eyes. He may not be a carbon copy of Stoick, but he got his stubbornness. Stoick sighed in defeat and shook his son's hand.

"Deal," he said unwillingly. Hiccup beamed.

"Thank you, dad," he said. With that settled, the two rejoined the party.

"What was that about?" Astrid asked as she came up to Hiccup.

"Oh, nothing," he lied. Hiccup knew Astrid better than he thought he did. If Astrid found out that his father didn't approve of the marriage, then she might not follow through with it. Hiccup continued, "Nothing your manly viking couldn't handle."

Astrid scoffed and Hiccup kissed the top of her head.

"Soup's on!" Phlegma called as she started putting pots and pans full of food onto the table. For once in five years, there was merrymaking between Stoick, Hiccup and Astrid. All was good with the world.

(~)(~)(~)

{After Dinner At Phlegma's House}

The twins walked through the woods looking for large branches to start a bonfire. They used to do it all the time, but they had been whisked away on an adventure and haden't been able to in a long while. Now, with them being back on Berk they thought that they would get back into the swing of things.

_Ruffnut is unusually quiet_, Tuffnut thought. Dare he show feelings and ask what was going on? He sighed, he was going to regret this, but...

"Anything wrong, sis, You seem... uh... troubled," Tuff asked. He cringed at how he sounded saying that. He cared for his sister, he really did. He just wasn't good at, well, anything sentimental.

Ruff stared at the branches in her arms, but kept walking.

"You... do you think, uh..." Ruff stuttered. She wasn't really good at this kind of stuff either. Tuff took a deep breath.

"OK, don't think I'm going soft or anything, because I might have to beat some sense into you then. But, you can tell me anything, I am your brother, after all," _Oh gods,_ he thought, _what's happening to me?_

Despite Ruff's best efforts, she couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you, Tuffnut. Do you think Hiccup will be able to get our dragon back? I actually... miss... it." Tuffnut furrowed his brow for a second, thinking. Another thing new to him.

"Well, Astrid's dragon is still trapped there, so I think Hiccup will try to get hers back. And, from what I do know of Hiccup, he'll try to get ours back, too," Tuffnut said. He rubbed his head, it hurt to think all that up, but, it seemed to have worked. Ruffnut seemed to have perked up.

"Thanks," she said. OK, things were getting too friendly for Tuffnut. He needed to get things back the way they usually were between them.

"You sound like a boy," Tuff said. _There, that ought to do it,_ he thought. And it did. Ruffnut smirked, knowing what he was doing, and kicked him in the side. Tuffnut fell with a howl and rolled down a hill, sliding on his face to a stop right beside a cliff. He groaned and lifted his face out of the dirt.

Tuff looked down the cliff and Ruff ditched her branches and slid down the steep hill, stopping beside her brother.

"What are you looking at?" She asked. Tuff pointed down towards the bottom of the cliff. There, a kid that looked familiar was dragging... Fishlegs! They were both soaked. The kid dropped beside the tied up Fishlegs, exhausted.

Ruff saw them too and quickly dropped beside her brother. She could have sworn she has seen that kid before. Who was he! All this thinking was making her brain hurt. She did know, however, that this wasn't good.

"Come on, we need to go find Hiccup," she said. Brother and sister got up to leave, only to meet Dane.

"Sorry, but I can't let you do that. It'll mess up my plans," Dane said, taking a step closer.

"What? What are you talking about ki..." Tuff was cut off by Dane grabbing his shirt collar. He did the same with Ruffnut. He pushed both of them off the cliff and down onto the beach. Their heads hit the ground... hard. Both blacked out, but were alive.

Dane climbed down the cliff to meet Raden. He was still lying on the ground, Dane stood over him.

"You have no clue how hard it was to drag this fat lug through the water. Hiccup almost found us, good thing Toothless likes to screech when he's flying," Raden said through deep breaths. Dane smiled.

"Keep this up and your family won't have to suffer," Dane said. "We got the twins now, just Snotlout and Astrid are left." Dane chuckled darkly. His plan was working flawlessly.

* * *

A/N:_ Thank you mycove and NightshadeFromSweden, I can always count on you to help contain my spelling and grammar._

_I don't always ask for them, but please, please review. I really appreciate it, you have no idea how often I check to see if I get a new review. _

_Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll see you on the next chapter! _


	11. ACT III: Finale part 1

A/N: _Sorry for the wait, but I finally have the next chapter done! This is part 1 to the 2 (maybe 3) part finale! A little bit of angst awaits you at the bottom of the chapter :D._

_ENJOY!_

* * *

_How To Find A Hiccup_

* * *

_ACT III: War; part 1_

_Chapter 1_

_'Discovered'_

Hiccup forced his head off the ground. Everything hurt, even his prosthetic. His vision was blurred and his hearing was failing him. A cloud of dust enveloped him and another figure.

He tried to prop himself onto his knees, but he was too weak and fell back onto the brown, dusty ground. He looked up again at the figure. Both had taken a nasty fall just a moment before, but he seemed to be alive. Hiccup groaned. Dane... was still breathing. He was lying on his back and it looked like he was yanking at something. Hiccup squinted his eyes, forcing himself to focus. Dane was pulling on an ax. It was lodged in his shoulder. Not only that, but Hiccup remember the ax's owner... it was Astrid.

(~)(~)(~)

{On Berk, before Dane was discovered}

"We haven't seen Fishlegs anywhere, Ms. Ingerman," Hiccup told the worried woman. It had been five days since his disappearance and Hiccup had no clue where he was. On top of that, the Thorston twins had vanished. Hiccup may not know where they were, but he had a pretty good idea as to who was responsible for them being missing.

Hiccup was doing his best to console the worried mother and father. Fishlegs may be a fully grown man, but his parents were softer than most. Which would explain why Fishlegs isn't the most... bloodthirsty... viking on Berk.

He and the Ingermans sat at a table in the Great Hall. They were alone, aside from a few vikings talking and eating. But Hiccup's table was pretty far away from anyone else, just how he liked it.

The Ingermans hated Hiccup to the core. But after the fourth day of their son being gone and with no sign of him, they grew desperate and sought Hiccup out. Hiccup was almost as worried as the Ingermans were, but only because he knew who Fishlegs might be with. King was a nasty dude.

"Well... you have to do something! It's your fault!" Mr. Ingerman yelled. Hiccup couldn't really see how Fishlegs's disappearance was his fault. But he thought it better not to argue with the hysterical parents. He would have to sit back and let them vent all their anger towards him. Once they were calmed, Hiccup was hoping they could work out a proper plan.

Hiccup leaned back into his chair and took a sip of his drink, waiting for the next outburst. Mr. Ingerman groaned.

"Where's that Hofferson girl when you need her? It's obvious this boy is useless," he said. Hiccup's face twitched with anger. He hated that word. Reminded him of how Scale was born.

"Miss Hofferson is busy _looking_ for your son," Hiccup shot back a little to angrily. He took a deep breath. "She is searching from the sky for him on one of my dragons. If Fishlegs is still on this island then we will find him." Hiccup relaxed a bit and sunk into his chair slightly. He would be out looking for both the twins and Fishlegs if it weren't for this unpleasant conversation.

He was thankful that the twins' parents were actually out _looking_ for their son instead of being in here, arguing and getting nowhere.

Ms. Ingerman looked like she was trying not to cry. Hiccup hated it when people looked like the way she did, even more so when that person thought it was _his_ fault. But Hiccup was pulled out of his guilt when he noticed Mr. Ingerman staring holes into him. He was taken back by the man's glare.

Mr. Ingerman rested his forearm on the table and leaned over the table.

"You know something," he said. "Something you're not telling us." Hiccup swallowed hard and leaned back into his chair trying to get as far away from him as possible. It didn't seem to help.

"I don't know what you mean," Hiccup said. He was a horrible liar and it seemed Mr. Ingerman knew so, too. He opened his mouth to speak, but a familiar voice sounded off not to far away. It was music to Hiccup's ears.

Astrid sat beside Hiccup. Mr. Ingermans glare shifted to her.

"Any luck?" Ms. Ingerman asked. Astrid solemnly shook her head, no. Ms. Ingerman's hopes dropped again.

Astrid couldn't take it any longer.

"May I help you, Mr. Ingerman?" Astrid asked, fed up with his glare. Mr. Ingerman huffed.

"You are such a disappointment," he told her. Hiccup shot strait up in his seat, not at all pleased with the comment towards his Astrid.

"Now, hold on just a-" Hiccup began, but was cut off.

"And how is that, Mr. Ingerman?" Astrid asked him, still her calm self.

"You could have been at the top of the viking community, Astrid. But now... you've gone and threw that all away for... this," Mr. Ingerman said.

"You just gestured to all of me," Hiccup said, flatly. Astrid narrowed her eyes. _Oh no,_ Hiccup thought.

Hiccup and Astrid walked down the steps of the Great Hall.

"Was that really necessary?" Hiccup asked, glancing over to Astrid.

"What was?" She asked back, not turning to face him. Hiccup rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand in his.

"You know what I mean, Astrid. I'm pretty sure Fishlegs's father didn't appreciate being tied to a support beam." Astrid giggled at that.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied innocently. Hiccup shook his head, but smiled. The two found themselves at Stoick's house. With a knock, they entered.

"Aye, son, there you are," Stoick said rising from his favorite chair beside the staircase. Gobber was there, as well, sitting at the table. A fire had been lit in the fireplace, lighting up the interior of the old wooden house. Toothless laid beside it; he perked up when his friend opened the door.

"Hey, dad," Hiccup greeted, though his tone sounded solemn and not at all happy. Stoick sighed.

"What is it, son?" Stoick asked. Hiccup took his seat at the table closest to Toothless. Astrid beside him.

"More like, 'what _isn't_ it,'" the rider said. "Why is everything so complicated?" Hiccup rubbed his forehead. Astrid shrugged.

"When things involve you they usually are," she said. When Hiccup raised an eyebrow at her, Astrid quickly added, "Sweetheart." But that didn't do much to lift his spirits.

Hiccup turned back to Gobber who hadn't added to the conversation.

"You're awfully quiet, Gobber," Hiccup said. "Anything on your mind?" Gobber had been in charge of a search group that checked out the further sides of the island. "Anything you would like to add on our... predicament?" Hiccup added before Gobber could speak.

The blacksmith shook his head. Stoick seemed to notice his strange behavior. Why, just a moment ago, Gobber was his happy self. It seemed like the presence of Hiccup changed his mood, however. _Odd_, Stoick thought.

When Gobber didn't answer and his eyes seemed to dart around the room, Stoick pressed the matter.

"Gobber?" He asked. Gobber chuckled.

"What?" The blacksmith looked at his friend. Stoick's eyes narrowed.

"Spill it." Gobber's face crunched in confusion.

"Excuse..."

"You're hiding something. Tell us." Stoick said, cutting Gobber off. Hiccup leaned on the table, waiting for what Gobber had to say.

Gobber drummed his fingers on the table.

"Nothing to tell, really," he said.

"Not buying it," Stoick said. "What has you skivvies in a bunch?" Gobbers eyes darted to Hiccup, then back to Stoick. He sighed and scratched the scruff on his chin.

"Well... I'm not sure you guys would like-"

"GOBBER!" Hiccup yelled. "Out with it!" Hiccup gestured to his old mentor with his hand. Gobber sighed again, his eyes downcast.

"Snotlout has disappeared," Gobber said. The room froze. Hiccup stared at Gobber.

"How long ago?" Hiccup asked, worry etched in his voice. He never cared so much about the bully, but he still felt like it was his responsibility. Especially if it was his enemy who kidnapped him.

"Ten minutes ago, maybe," Gobber said. "It was on the way back from a search and Snotty was bringing up the rear. Only thing was... was that he wasn't there." Hiccup didn't wait for anything else to happen. He shot up out of his chair, called for Toothless to follow him, and ran out the door. There might be time to find Snotlout since he hadn't been gone that long. Hiccup also hoped that if he found Snotlout he would be able to find the others.

Astrid got up to follow him, but Gobber grabbed her arm.

"Gobber!" Astrid protested.

"Sit down, lass," he said. "I have more to say." Astrid glared at him, but sat back down.

Stoick was not to pleased with the information as it was the first time he was hearing it as well. What bugged him most was that Gobber had waited to tell it. He would press his friend later.

With Astrid seated, Gobber continued.

"Snotlout wasn't the only one we have lost." Astrid's face twisted with confusion, but she quickly understood.

"Dane," she said before Gobber could continue. It was barely above a whisper but Gobber still nodded, yes.

Hiccup was reaching neck breaking speeds on top of Toothless. He wasn't wearing his helmet, so the wind whipped it backwards.

The two weaved in and out of clouds, flying all over the island.

"You see them, bud?" Hiccup asked his friend. Toothless, being a Nightfury, could see very well from a long distance. But the dragon just grunted.

"_No,_" Toothless said. "_Not yet._" Hiccup sighed. He and Toothless slowed their speed; Hiccup sat up straight in the saddle.

"Oh, bud, what are we going-"

"_Wait!_" Toothless interrupted, quickly gaining Hiccup's attention. Without warning, Toothless started to dive. Hiccup gave a yelp as he struggled to stay on the saddle.

Toothless landed on the secluded beach, eyes narrowed at... Raden?

Hiccup slowly slid off his dragon, eyes wide in shock and confusion.

Raden stood, but a few feet away from Hiccup and Toothless, a crossbow loaded and pointed at Dane. Dane was on his knees, his hands behind his head and his eyes downcast.

"Raden?" Hiccup asked, stunned. He shook his head. "Raden! What's the meaning of this?" Hiccup yelled at the boy.

"Call Astrid," he said in a small voice. Dane grunted so Raden spoke again. "Call Astrid!" This time louder and more forceful.

Hiccup stared at him, unmoving and unbelieving. Slowly, Hiccup shook his head, no. Dane looked up at him.

"You're going to choose her over me?" Dane asked, his voiced etched with hurt and anger, though he did his best to hide it. Hiccup shook his head again.

"What? No... no I... What am I supposed to do?!" He yelled taking a step closer.

"Back up!" Raden yelled, stopping Hiccup in his tracks. Toothless growled.

"Make a decision, Hiccup!" Raden warned. Hiccup didn't move or give a command. He just stood there... frozen.

How was he supposed to chose between his fiancee and his son? On one hand, Dane has been with him through thick and thin for most of King's reign. But Astrid has... Wait! Was he really comparing who to save? He had to do something... NOW!

"Raden! Just put the crossbow-"

"I can't believe you!" Dane interrupted Hiccup. The rider's worried gaze fell on him.

"What-"

"Choosing that ax throwing idiot over ME!" Dane yelled. Hiccup's eyes narrowed at him despite the situation.

"OK! First-" Hiccup couldn't finish before Dane cut in, again.

"-off" Dane finished for Hiccup. "I'm done hiding! I've had enough of this." The corrupted kid stood up, Raden stepping off to the side. Catching a sword Raden tossed to him, the two assumed fighting stances.

"One move, Hiccup, and your _friends_ bleed to death," Dane said. The boy motioned his head off to the side, there, the riders sat against a rock tied up in chains.

A smile crept onto Dane's face. A smile not used for pleasure, but for a sudden idea. And by the look in his eyes, Hiccup knew the idea was foul and wicked.

"TooOOthless," Dane said in a low, sing-song voice. "If you don't get Astrid down here, you'll get to watch Hiccup's last few seconds on EARTH!" Toothless eyes widened and he shot a glance to Hiccup. His eyes were still on Dane, trying to make sense of it all. Toothless looked at Raden and watched in horror as he aimed his crossbow at his human.

He had to make a decision; Hiccup, or Astrid. In Toothless's mind, it was clear. The dragon began to make a deep warble in his throat. Hiccup knew what he was doing.

"_TOOTHLESS! DON'T YOU DARE!_" Hiccup shouted in Dragonese. But Toothless didn't stop.

A thunderous call sounded high above the group. A call of a Thunderdrum. Hiccup's eyes widen when he saw what it was carrying; a blonde girl wielding an ax landed beside Toothless. The Nightfury gave her a violent shove toward Dane. Before Astrid knew what was happening, Dane knocked her out the same way Raden had when they were escaping King's (or Dane's) island.

It happened so fast Hiccup didn't even have time to blink. There she laid, the girl of his dreams, knocked out at the feet of the enemy. And Toothless was the one who put her there.

A few beads of sweat started to trickle down his forehead and his hands started to shake; his whole body, in fact, began to tremble. _This can't be happening!_ He thought to himself. _Toothless didn't just give her to Dane! This is all a bad dream, I'll wake up soon... PLEASE LET THIS BE A DREAM!_ But it wasn't.

Hiccup wasn't thinking straight. No, he wasn't thinking at all when he ordered his dragon to shoot. Dane smiled when Toothless didn't make a move.

"Oh, Hiccup, your dragon's love for you out weighs his hatred for me," he said. "One move, dragon, and Hiccup gets an arrow through his skull." Dane spoke like it was business. There was only a tiny bit of malice in his voice.

Hiccup took a step forward, only to jump back by an arrow fired at his feet.

"Idiot," Dane muttered. "Next time Raden aims for Toothless, Hiccup, and he won't miss." Dane let loose a dragon call of his own and his Skrill landed beside him. He gave it an order while he dragged Astrid's still body closer to the water.

Hiccup's let loose a small gasp.

"What are you doing?" He asked helplessly. Dane grunted.

"Time to send her away, along with the rest of the riders," Dane replied as he reached the water's edge. Dane's Skrill let loose a call similar to the one Toothless did just as Dane laid Astrid on her back, slightly in the water.

Hiccup watched as Oceanzaps slithered onto the shore and underneath Astrid, picking her up. He dropped to his knees as he watched them carry her out into the ocean. The dragons stayed close to the surface so Astrid could breathe, but it didn't make it any easier for Hiccup as he watched them take her away. Possibly forever.

Dane forced the other riders to their feet. His Skrill grabbed the chain and took off into the sky; he tossed the screaming riders into the water. Hiccup didn't see what type of dragon took them away.

Dane took his place beside Raden, his sword stabbed in the ground in front of him; his hands rested calmly on its hilt.

Hiccup was now on all fours, tears stained his cheeks.

Toothless still had his eyes narrowed at Dane and Raden, but he had a protective wing over his heart broken rider. The dragon couldn't stand what he had done, but if it meant Hiccup was still breathing, then it was the right thing.

"Why don't you just kill me now?" Hiccup asked. Dane chuckled, his voice filled with hatred and victory for causing Hiccup so much pain.

"Now now, what kind of evil villain would I be if I don't cause the _hero,_"- he spat the word "hero" -"unbearable suffering?" Dane sighed happily. He climbed onto his dragon as did Raden, his bow-an-arrow never leaving Hiccup.

"I trust you'll get over it, eventually, and then you'll come to save your damsel in distress," Dane said. "Well, I'll be waiting." Dane's skrill took off high into the golden sky caused by the setting sun. Hiccup craned his neck to watch them, but the tears in his eyes caused for a blurry image.

Slowly, the dragon was out of sight, flying calmly out over the ocean where the riders and... and Astrid... were taken. Hiccup's whole body gave out from underneath him. He laid there and sobbed.

Hiccup didn't know how long he laid there and cried, but soon the sky grew dark, storm clouds rolled in. It began to rain. Toothless was there, laying beside his grieving rider, holding a wing over him to keep him dry.

Every now and then, Hiccup would let loose a desperate screech that pierced Toothless's heart. The screech called for his friends, his son... and his love.

* * *

A/N: _I hope you guys enjoyed it! Again, sorry for the wait, I really wish I had a good reason. Stay tuned for the next part!_

_Thanks to mycove and NightshadeFromSweden as always!_

_Leave a review telling me how I did and what you're excited for in the next chapter please! Till next time, this is Shnuckles signing off-_


	12. ACT III: Finale part 2

A/N: _Holy crap! You guys blew up the comments on the last chapter! Guess you guys love your angst and the breaking of Hiccup's heart! No, I'm just kidding, but there is still some angst in this chapter, if you were wondering. So, without further a do, here is part 2; part 2 isn't the last chapter, I might add :D_

* * *

_How To find A Hiccup_

_ACT III: War; part 2_

_Chapter 2_

_'Brothers divided'_

Hiccup opened his crusty eyes. He didn't know where he was or what happened the previous day. In fact, he didn't even know if it was day time. Everything was black. He rolled over onto his back, grains of sand stuck on to the side of his face. This black wasn't what you got at night; there were no stars. Then it hit him, it was Toothless's wing. And, with the remembrance of Toothless, came the images of yesterday: Raden's and Dane's betrayal, his friends being taken off to Thor knows where, and Toothless giving Astrid over to the enemy.

Remembering Astrid almost made the tears fall again. But he blinked them back. Now was not the time for crying. He forced all thoughts of Astrid to the back of his mind. Thinking about her would do no good if they made him sit in a corner and sulk.

With a grunt, Hiccup pushed Toothless's wing off of him; he rolled to his right, getting away from the beast.

Toothless perked his head up at Hiccup. His eyes of his normal playfulness. But, the playfulness seemed to have sunken down into despair as if he remembered something lonely and solemn. Hiccup knew the dragon must have remembered the little_ incident_ that occurred a few hours ago.

Toothless brought his gaze down to the sandy beach.

"_Listen, Hiccup-_" Toothless tried, but Hiccup cut him off.

"Don't talk to me, Toothless," he spat. Toothless winced at the tone in his friend's voice. He brought his eyes to meet Hiccup's, but quickly averted them. The usual love and kindness and wonder that often took up the green orbs he called eyes had been replaced. Now they showed disappointment and betrayal. But, what hurt Toothless the most, was the _hatred_. It burned through Toothless like nothing else.

Silence followed. Hiccup began looking around the beach, thinking. There was a strange atmosphere around the two. It had never been like this, never. Not even when Scale threatened thousands of lives. The two had always been there for each other. But this, this was completely new to the friends. Why, up until now, Hiccup and Toothless saw themselves not as friends, but brothers. Well, it's clear that even brothers aren't always your best friends.

Hiccup shook his head side to side as he tried to come with something to say... but nothing came to him. The only thing he thought to do was to head back to the village. But, when he looked at Toothless, he felt something strange. Something he could never have thought he would feel toward the dragon. Anger. Not just the type that will subside over a few hours, but anger so strong that it teetered back and forth on the verge of hatred!

Hiccup's face scrunched in anger, replacing the sorrow. He walked over to Toothless's makeshift tail fin.

Before Toothless knew that Hiccup had left his place beside him, he heard clanging on his tail fin. He looked over his shoulder seeing Hiccup bang some gears into place with the palm of his hand.

"_What are you doing?_" Toothless asked. Hiccup grunted as he hit the last of the gears into place.

"I'm going back to the village and, unless you want to stay here, I'm adjusting your tail so you can fly... without me," Hiccup replied, standing up.

Toothless didn't understand.

"_Why don't you just hop onto the saddle and we can fly back to the village?_" Hiccup sighed.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Toothless. Not after what you've done." Hiccup turned and walked away. The beach was surrounded by a cliff on the sides where it wasn't covered by water. Looking up the stone wall, Hiccup began to climb, leaving a dumbfounded Toothless behind, watching him.

"_You can't be serious!_" Toothless yelled to the man half way up the cliff.

"Good bye, Toothless. I have to figure out a way to find Astrid because YOU gave her to the enemy! Why don't you just leave me alone before you ruin something else!? Useless reptile!" Hiccup let the anger speak for him, but didn't try to justify. He grabbed some crabgrass at the top of the cliff and yanked himself to the top. Turning back to Toothless staring up at him, Hiccup yelled, "Why don't you make yourself useful and fly far away from here!" With that, Hiccup turned and left.

Despite himself, Toothless narrowed his eyes.

"_Fine!_" Toothless yelled. Giving his wings a powerful flap, the Nightfury shot into the air and out of sight. Flying away from Berk.

Hiccup stormed through Berk's forest. Swatting low hanging branches, dodging thorn bushes jutting out of the ground and cursing his luck all the while.

Hiccup craned his neck to look up at the trees. Somewhere beyond them sounded a Nightfury. Hiccup didn't realize how much anger he felt towards the dragon for giving Astrid up. But, when he didn't care that Toothless was leaving, he knew. He sighed and continued on his way back to the village.

Berk was, as usual, busy with vikings scurrying around doing... well, Hiccup didn't really know all that they usually did. He often spent his time trying to get _away_ from them when he lived here.

Hiccup needed to figure out a plan. So far, the only thing he had was: he didn't have a dragon anymore, the riders were gone and they were the only ones who would help him, and, of course, Astrid was with them. That left him with Stoick, Gobber and Phlegma. _Well_, Hiccup thought. _At least they can fight_.

He could also get word out to the other members at Group Z, it seemed like only Raden had sided with Dane.

Dane. Hiccup did his best not to think about him, but he kept popping back into his head. Where had he gone wrong? What could he have done to make Dane hate him? Hiccup hoped that question would be answered; it kept gnawing at his insides, making him feel sick to the stomach.

Hiccup started through the village, ignoring angry stares and snarls given to him. He bumped shoulders with a few people, but kept his sights at the house on top of a hill.

He sighed before raising his fist and giving a solid knock on the door. A moment later, the door swung open.

"Hiccup?" Stoick asked. "You do realize this is still your home, you don't have to knock."

"What? Oh – right... anyway, we have a problem," Hiccup responded. Stoick's brow furrowed.

"Well, I could have told you that." Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"No, really, a HUGE problem! It just got bigger a couple hours ago, actually," Hiccup rubbed his forehead.

"What are you-" Hiccup groaned and shoved his way into the house.

"Just sit and I'll tell you everything," Hiccup said as he took a seat at the table. Hiccup put his head in his hands, only knowing Stoick sat down by the screeching of his chair against the wooden floor.

Hiccup told him of the events that had happened last night, sugarcoating it the best he could for his own sake.

Stoick sighed, staring at the table.

"I'm sorry... Hiccup. That must have been... uh... hard, fo – for you," The large man said, having to force the words out; being kind and offering words of encouragement wasn't his place of expertise. "Where's Toothless?"

A lump formed in Hiccup's throat. He hadn't told him about the dragon. Personally, he hoped Stoick would just overlook the fact that the beast wasn't with him. He cursed his awful luck again.

"That dragon will be able to help us," Stoick continued. Hiccup gulped and wiped a tear threatening to fall.

"T-Toothless will not be able to-to assist us... any longer," Hiccup choked out. Before Stoick could respond, Hiccup continued, "Listen, dad, you're better at this kind of stuff than I am."

"Wait wait wait!" Stoick said quickly. "What is going on with you? Where's-"

"Here's a map," Hiccup cut in, handing him a rolled up piece of paper. "The island Dane went to isn't his home island."

Stoick eyed Hiccup warily, but decided to just roll with him and not ask any more questions. Members of his tribe were kidnapped and Stoick was not about to let Dane get away with it! The men and women of Berk stick together!

"OK, fine, we'll do this your-" Stoick began.

"No, we'll do it your way," Hiccup interrupted. "I've messed up enough. I'll help in any way I can." Stoick looked at the map Hiccup was holding out to him. He accepted it and, in doing so, accepted the responsibilities that Hiccup was handing over to him.

"Hmm- Well, you know Dane best, so you'll be our greatest weapon," Stoick said, doing his best to put on his chief voice. But seeing Hiccup the way he looked was hard to just pass over. Stoick did it, however. "Where do we need to go?" Hiccup motioned towards the map and Stoick spread it out on the table.

Hiccup pointed to a small island about 5 hours from Berk. It was 5 hours by dragon, though, and 15 on boat. Dane would have been at the island long ago and would have set up some sort of defense with his dragons.

"What makes this island so special?" Stoick asked. Hiccup shrugged one shoulder.

"Dane's a smart kid," he said. "I know that he knows all of the islands in the archipelago and the ones around it," - Hiccup inhaled - "I would know because I taught him them myself. This island, as you may know, is unoccupied. It also has some great advantage points, but I doubt he knows about them. He just wants to get to some place far enough from Berk, but close enough to keep an eye on things."

Stoick leaned back into his chair and stroked his beard.

"How big is his army?" He finally asked.

"Big enough to sink Berk," Hiccup replied flatly.

"Then a full out attack is out of the question." Hiccup scratched his forehead.

"Not exactly." This caused Stoick to raise an eyebrow at him.

"I may, or may not, have hundreds of dragons... as well..." The way Hiccup said was almost comical. And, if not for the situation, Stoick might have laughed.

It was true, however. Hiccup had had Toothless training with a bunch of dragons to sever their ties from the Line. The dragons, however, were nowhere near Berk and would take weeks of nonstop flying at a Nightfury's top speed to reach them. Hiccup explained all this to see if Stoick had any bright ideas. But by the look on the chief's face, Hiccup guessed he didn't have much to offer.

The realization hit Hiccup again. He might never get to see Astrid again and Toothless was off doing who knows what. There were so many thoughts out of place in his mind. He felt off, as well; it was as if he wasn't really there, like this was just a horrible nightmare that he was forced to live in. He HAD to get his priorities straight. If he didn't, then his mind wouldn't be there for him; it was filled with images and phrases and ideas and thoughts and dreams and horrors. They were all crammed into his head, most were unwanted. He had to get a hold of them or else his brain would be confused.

That was his greatest weapon, his brain. He forced himself to focus. To focus on the things that mattered and to get rid of the ones that had no place in the present situation.

Astrid. She was the first one he need to get rid of. He couldn't allow her to affect him emotionally. Not now. Not when she was captured by the enemy. He had to forget her for her own sake. But it was hard. Too hard. He couldn't forget her no matter how hard he tried. To finally be reconnected with her, to only be ripped apart once more was just to much for his heart to handle. Another set of tears threatened to fall, but Hiccup couldn't cry right now. Not when Astrid was depending on him.

No matter what, Hiccup was going to get her back. He and Toothless w- T... Toothless. _Oh Thor_, Hiccup thought. _He's really gone._

Hiccup had spoken out of anger and hurt and loss when he uttered those foul words towards his friend. And now, he was finally feeling the aftermath. "_FINE!_" That was what Toothless said. He accepted what Hiccup said. And so he left. He left because of what Hiccup had said and done to him.

The dragon had been Hiccup's best friend for over 5 years. The two had faced so much together. Pain and suffering were among those. But they stuck together through it all. They promised to watch each other's back at all times. To look out for the other no matter what happened. The beast wasn't just a friend or a pet, he was more... he was family. He was the other half of Hiccup. The one who was behind him no matter what. He was the one who would lay down and die for Hiccup if that was what needed to be done in order to save him. And Hiccup drove him away.

Then there was his adoptive son, Dane. What had he done to the poor kid? He and Hiccup had been close, or it seemed like it, ever since they met. Dane must have been a great actor or Hiccup must have been incredibly stupid not to see his betrayal coming. Dane helped him build his dragon empire. He was beside Hiccup the whole way. He soared above the other children in dragon training. Even with his poor eyesight, Dane was able to learn how to fight and was now an excellent swordsman. He could rival anyone in a fight.

Where love and joy used to show in his eyes was now replaced with hatred and a lust for power. He had somehow gotten Raden on his side, but by the look in his eyes, Hiccup knew Dane must have some kind of leverage on the poor soul.

Without Toothless, Hiccup was nothing. Without Astrid, Hiccup was nothing. Without Dane, Hiccup was nothing. He was just a hollow man with nothing but regret. The constant question, "What could I have done differently?" nagged him and tore at his insides. He wasn't aware of anything anymore. He was completely confused as to what the world around him was doing. He only knew what he had lost.

He was aware that Stoick was talking to him. He was aware that he had lost himself in his thoughts. He blinked a few times, the world around him coming back into focus. A blurred image came into view, it was the wall, the front door off to the side. Everything else slowly came back, too. First, it was his sense of touch; he felt the hard floor underneath him. He was no longer in his chair at the table, but was lying on his side, staring at the wall.

He also realized his knees; he was hugging them close to his chest in a fetal position.

The tears became apparent, as well. They ran down his cheeks at a rapid pace. If he was outside he might have thought it was raining. The tears were still coming, his eyes burned with every single one that escaped and dripped onto the hard floor of his father's house.

His hearing was the last thing to come to him. The first thing he heard were his powerful heaves and sobs. The drawing of breath ever so often when he ran out of oxygen. The voice of his father was the next thing to come to him. It was his usual gruff voice, but seemed to be trying to soothe him, but at the same time Hiccup got the sense Stoick wanted him to knock it off.

But he couldn't. He couldn't shake the feeling. It was a strange feeling. So much was packed into him that he couldn't tell all of the emotions that were leaking from him. There was a simple word that Hiccup knew summed most of it up. Sad. That's how he felt. He simply felt, sad. Nothing on earth could make him feel happy. Well, that wasn't true, but Hiccup wasn't reasonable enough to understand common sense.

He never stopped the tears, but he finally got up. He ignored Stoick when he shoved past him and started up the steps to his old room. He slammed the door behind him.

He needed to get these thoughts and feelings out of his mind and sort them. So, he did it the only way he knew how. Since he didn't have Toothless to comfort him like he used to, Hiccup grabbed an old, empty book off his desk. With a charcoal pen firmly in his hand, Hiccup wiped the tears out of his eyes, thankful they didn't haunt him again.

He put the pen to a blank page on the opened book and began to write. It was sloppy, at first, but soon his pen was making elegant strokes across the old paper. After a page was filled, Hiccup ripped it out and set it down on the desk beside. Over and over he did this, each page held something different. Finally, he put the pen down; placing the book and pen aside, Hiccup turned his attention to the papers he had wrote on.

Each were filled with everything that was on his mind. From things that hurt to remember, like Astrid and Toothless and Dane, to things that had absolutely nothing in common to the dilemma that faced him, like that nasty rash on his good foot.

He spread the paper out onto the floor and began to sort them. Soon, his floor was covered in paper. Each had a thought written out on it; with each paper Hiccup placed down, he arranged a thought in his mind. And soon, Hiccup was ready to face the enemy and get back all that was taken from him.

* * *

A/N: _Well, how was this chapter? I hope you guys give this chapter as much love as you did the last one! _

_Thanks to mycove and NightshadeFromSweden! My ever loyal beta readers :D_

_Please leave a review, they let me know you guys enjoy the story! _


	13. ACT III: Finale part 3

A/N: _Hey, another chapter! Not much to say, but it does get violent at the end of this chapter... like... if you're squeamish, than this might not be for you. When you get to the part with Dane, then watch out! _

_Anyway, that's all! ENJOY! _

* * *

_How To Find A Hiccup_

_ACT III: War; part 3_

_Chapter 3_

_'Promise'_

Stoick was nowhere to be found in the house. Hiccup decided he must have left. _Probably couldn't stand the sound of my crying_, he thought. _Or he might just be ashamed_. Hiccup shrugged that last idea off. Stoick seemed to understand now that Hiccup was, and never would be, a normal viking. He wasn't quite as good at hiding his emotions, unlike the other residents on Berk. But he was, however, just as stubborn. He could argue for hours about what he was feeling, but never accept what he is trying to hide.

The burly viking wasn't in the village, either. The whole place seemed abandoned. Some doors were still open in the huts of vikings. They creaked ever so often when the morning breeze hit them.

The sun was barely above the horizon, sending its rays stretching across the ocean. Berk's shadows stretched far and skinny as the sun slowly made its way up into the sky, making the island seem like it hadn't been occupied in years; to Hiccup, it just made the place seem a little more eery.

Hiccup craned his neck to look up at the large doors of the Mead Hall. Placing both hands firmly on the door, he pushed with all his might, the doors creaking, slowly opening in the process. No matter how big, or strong, you were, these huge oak doors wouldn't budge unless you put all your might into it. The thick oak doors only opened a little, but it was enough for him to slip passed them and into the Hall.

Warmth flooded over Hiccup as the hot and stuffy air flooded out of the Great Hall. Torches were lit and the huge fire pit in the center burned furiously. Hiccup was glad to note that his father was here, standing upon the big circular table that housed the fire pit in the middle. The whole island surrounded him. Hiccup guessed Stoick had called a meeting. He smiled, his father, it seemed, was on top of things already.

With a creak, the big doors slammed back into their place, shielding the inside from the bitter cold of the early morning. The noise alerted the village of his presence, which was unknown only because Stoick was sharing some... interesting... news that happened the other night. He also went on to explain just how severe the situation was.

It was safe to say that new information didn't sit quiet well with the village. The original fear of being bombarded by an unstoppable army of dragons had since vanquished since Scale was defeated; all of those fears came rushing back to the vikings, young and old. They got off lucky five years ago. If Hiccup hadn't been able to overcome his inner demon, then Berk would have ceased to exist, as would the archipelago. The thought of another ego maniac with an army of dragons started another uproar.

Fists were pumping in the air. Voices tried to top the others, trying to make themselves known to the chief. Stoick tried to calm the crowd, but seemed to be failing. He tried to tell them it wasn't impossible, that they would kill the enemy and thrive on once more. But the crowd was having none of that and Stoick was even doubting himself. It was almost a relief when Hiccup came in through the doors; the crowd quieted and turned their attention to him. Most wore scowls, the look of hatred plastered on their face. But some showed relief, for in their minds, Hiccup was their greatest weapon. He knew the enemy better than anyone and he was the one who could control the dragons. Surely he could help them better than anyone else.

Hiccup had dressed in his leather armor before leaving his father's house. His helmet was in his hands and duel swords forming and 'X' shape were strapped to his back. He took a step back when everyone turned to look at him. Cold stares were shot his way as he walked pass them, though some looks were softer and more welcoming; the vikings were on both sides of him as he made his way to where Stoick was.

His father gave him a sympathetic smile, though one could argue it was relief. He gave his son a pat on the back.

"What have we got so far?" Hiccup asked. Stoick sighed.

"Nothing, really," he replied. Hiccup looked back over the crowd, who had since been quiet.

"Get them out of here," Hiccup said. "Where's your council?" Stoick nodded. With an ear rattling bellow, Stoick ordered the tribe out of the Hall. It was a several minutes until they stopped their yammering and shuffled out of the Hall.

Hiccup shook his head at the turned backs of the villagers. They were scared half to death – though they wouldn't admit it – and it was all his fault. They hated him for it. If Hiccup was being honest with himself, which he was, he hated himself, too. He hated himself for everything that happened, for losing Toothless and Astrid and the other riders, for putting fear into the hearts of so many people. And now here he was, paying for what he had done. He shook his head once more.

[][][][]

The council was gathered in a circle, sitting in ordinary chairs. The large fire pit burning in the center. All in all, there were 10 councilmen and none seemed to be happy that Hiccup was among them. _Great_, he thought.

"Alright," Stoick began. "Let's get this going. Hiccup, we need to know anything and everything about Dane. If there is any weakness to his army, we need to know." Hiccup shook his head.

"Dane's smart and, since he got his eye sight restored, I don't really know of his weakness, or if he has any." One of the councilmen groaned.

"Everyone has a weakness!" He shouted. "You're not telling us! Why, I bet you're in league with him!"

"Enough, Meatlout!" Stoick shouted. Hiccup laughed on the inside. _Meatlout_. The viking in question sat back down with a huff. He folded his arms and looked away.

Stoick turned to Hiccup. "Son, he's right, though. Everyone has a weakness. If we find it than we might be able to exploit it." Hiccup scratched just below his ear.

"Well, he's very sure of himself and he seems to hate my guts. Not really sure how that could be used against him," he said. The part about Dane hating his guts cut deep within him. Hiccup looked down at his knees and blinked back a few tears. It was hard to be here and plot against his adoptive son.

Phlegma stood up. She had been recounted to the council shortly after the battle with Scale. "Well, Hiccup, can you at least tell us how big his army is?" Hiccup looked up at her, then over to Stoick. Maybe the chief didn't tell them all that was happening. He pointed to Stoick.

"He didn't tell you?" Hiccup asked. Phlegma sat back down and shook her head. Hiccup groaned inwardly. "He could probably sink the island if he wanted to." Hiccup said it flatly and devoid of emotion.

A new type of silence fell on the council. A man Hiccup didn't know broke it.

"Well what do we do?" He asked quietly. Hiccup leaned back into his chair, thinking. After a few minutes in silence, there was only one way Hiccup could think of that they could do, but it only involved freeing the hostages.

There would have to be a small team made up of Berk's greatest fighters. They would infiltrate Dane's small island atop the dragons Hiccup brought – which were camped out in the forest – and free the hostages. That seemed easier enough, but there was nothing stopping Dane from just tacking the offensive once he found out what had happened. No. They would need a way to immobilize Dane and his army.

He explained part of his plan the council, but didn't have an idea on how to stop Dane. Capturing him wasn't an option, he would be able to notify his dragon using the Line. Killing him would work, but he didn't tell the council that. There was no way Hiccup was killing his son. Dane could wage war on the gods, but Hiccup would deal with him and keep him alive.

The council and Hiccup threw some half-baked ideas around, but all were quickly shot down. The councilmen and Hiccup lost track of time, so when the meeting was adjourned and the Great Hall's doors opened, the sun had risen a substantial amount and Hiccup guessed it was around noon. The sun was much brighter than the torches that lit up the inside of the Hall. Hiccup had to shield his eyes with his hand for a moment until they adjusted.

His dad went back to his home and the other members dispersed out into the village. Hiccup guessed to their own homes. But he didn't know where to go. He decided he would just take a walk around the island and clear his head.

He walked passed vikings doing their daily duties, but Hiccup could tell the news had really gotten to them. They used to do their work with much more... what was the word... passion. And Hiccup hated to be the one who took it from them.

His wandering footsteps led him to Astrid's house; Phlegma was no doubt inside. He knew he should probably talk to her, but he really didn't want to. He could tell Phlegma was trying to be strong all throughout the meeting. It would break his heart again to see her teary-eyed. He heaved in a breath, and knocked.

A weak-looking woman opened the door. Hiccup almost didn't recognize her. Phlegma had tears still fresh on her cheeks, her eyes red from crying. Her expression was blank when she opened the door, but she managed a tiny smile when she saw Hiccup.

His heart twisted at the sight of the viking. He thought she would try to strangle him if they were alone, but perhaps he didn't give her enough credit. He knew her fairly well, but still hadn't spent much time with her.

Phlegma stepped aside, wanting Hiccup to come in. He nodded slightly as a response and stepped through the door frame. He took a seat close to the fire pit, though lacking of fire, heat still radiated from it. Hiccup guessed the fire had recently been put out.

Phlegma took her place in a seat opposite of him on the other side of the pit. Silence.

The woman was staring into the fire deprived pit. She heaved a sigh, turning her attention to her hands placed on her lap. Hiccup looked at Phlegma's face, her features were drooped and sorrowful. He looked away. Seeing her like that was hard for two reasons: one; she reminded him of Astrid and two; it was his fault for making her feel that way. He shook his head and, with a sigh, he said, "I'm a failure."

Phlegma had been looking at him since he entered. She didn't say anything at first and the words seemed to hang in the air, haunting Hiccup. But she shook her head. "No. No you're not," she said. Her tone was soft and quiet. Soothing, even.

Hiccup didn't believe her. "How so?" He asked. His voice as quiet as hers, but had a slight edge to it. Phlegma looked at her hands, her thumbs rubbing over one another.

"You've done your best," she said. "You can't fail when you try your best." Hiccup's eyes stared at the floor. He brought his prosthetic out a little further just to have something to study. "No one could have predicted this," Phlegma continued.

Hiccup scratched his hand. "Dane lived with me for years. He was by my side the entire time... through everything. But... he still found a way." Phlegma didn't say anything else. Hiccup doubted she knew what _to _say. But he couldn't blame her.

"Why aren't you furious with me?" Hiccup asked after several minutes.

"What do you mean?" Phlegma asked, looking up at him.

"About Astrid?" He choked on her name. Phlegma shook her head and went back to staring at the ashes in the fire pit.

"You couldn't have done anything," she said. She gave a shaky sigh, trying not to cry. Hiccup nodded to himself.

"I'll get her back to you. I. Promise." Phlegma looked back up at him. Hiccup's face was firm, his jawline set and his eyes determined. She knew he meant it and she knew he was going to try and get her back. Even if it meant going to hell and back.

The dam finally broke again and the tears came streaming down Phlegma's face. Before Hiccup knew it, Phlegma had him in a bone crushing hug; crying into his leather armor. He hugged her back. "I promise," he whispered into her ear.

[][][][][]

-Yesterday-

"Finally!" Dane yelled as he hoped off his Skrill and stretched. He and Raden had landed on an island about 5 hours from Berk. It wasn't much to look at. Old, dead trees littered random areas. There was hardly any grass; most of the ground was rock. Moss made up most of the greenery. It could be found growing on the stone. It was slippery.

Astrid and the others were also on the island. The riders were still tied up and arrived a minute or two before Dane. Astrid was unconscious next to them, lying on the ground in a peaceful slumber.

"Everything's going according to plan, my friend," Dane said, looking over his shoulder at Raden. He still clutched the crossbow.

"Are you done with me?" Raden asked. "Why shouldn't I just shoot you now?" Dane rolled his eyes.

"Nothing's stopping you. But when I die, I'll get separated from the Line permanently; the dragon holding your family hostage will be able to tell that I'm dead, and won't hesitate to kill."

Raden looked at the ground. More and more dragons began showing up and landing on the island. Soon, there were hundreds and then there were thousands. The hostages' eyes darted back and forth, taking in all of the scaly beasts.

"How do you have so many dragons ? I though they held hostage the other parents of my group," Raden asked. Dane shrugged.

"I needed more," he said simply. "So I let the other parents and brothers and sisters go free. Yours are the only ones who will die if you screw up."

Astrid began to stir.

"Tie her up," Dane instructed Raden. The boy glared at him, but tied the girl up. The jostling of Raden pulling her up to sit beside the others woke Astrid completely. It took her a moment to understand what had happened, but the memories soon came back to her. Her eyes narrowed at Dane and Raden.

"Traitors," she spat. Dane couldn't care less, but Raden was hurt deeply. The riders beside Astrid didn't acknowledge Dane, Raden or her, they just sat quietly.

"Am I done here, Dane? What else do you need from me?" Raden asked. Dane looked him in the eye, giving him a death glare. But he smiled.

"I'll make you a deal," Dane said. He handed Raden his sword. "If you kill the fat one, I'll let you be on your way. I'll even give you a dragon to head back home. There, you'll see your family; unharmed and whole."

Raden looked down at Fishlegs, Dane's sword in his hand. He fought himself. He wanted to do it, to save his family even if it meant killing Fishlegs. It was a stranger he didn't even know versus the people who raised him and housed him for years.

Raden raised the sword, a look of determination in his eyes. Fishlegs's eyes widened, would he really be killed? As Raden brought the sword down, the others screamed and Fishlegs closed his eyes, waiting for the sickening sound of steel cutting through flesh.

But it never came. Fishlegs opened his eyes slowly. The sword was an inch away from his throat. Raden tossed it on the ground. He sighed and turned back to Dane.

"I can't kill an innocent man," he said quietly. Dane's expression was unreadable.

Without warning, Dane leaped forward and grabbed the top of Raden's head, grabbing a fist full of hair.

He yanked his head back and Raden screamed. Before the poor boy could do anything, Dane had a dagger raised in the air. He brought it down without a second thought, slamming it down onto the Raden's face. The weapon sliced through the eyeball, penetrating deep into the skull. Blood splattered on impact, some onto Danes face.

Raden shrieked in pain as the hostages watched on in horror, unable to look away.

Raden clawed at the dagger, but Dane held it in place. He twisted the dagger hard, back and forth, it making a sickening sloshing and grinding sound as it did so; Raden screamed impossibly louder.

"You can't. Be afraid. TO KILL!" Dane shouted as he ripped the dagger out and slammed it back in again. Raden fell onto the ground, his screeching made his throat raw and now was only a muffled choke. He tried to get Dane off him, but it was hopeless. His strength was gone.

Dane brought the dagger back up again only to slam it back down into Raden's skull. Blood splattered everywhere and was pooling beneath the two.

After a few more heartless stabs, Raden's body went limp and his heartbeat finally stopped... forever. Dane stabbed the dagger into the boy's chest and left it there, more blood escaping from the new wound. He was covered in blood.

Raden's face was smashed in on itself. Blood gushed out of the wounds along with other things that used to be inside Raden's head. The blood spread on the ground reaching the hostages' feet. It soon went farther up their bodies to the legs.

Fishlegs threw up, the others were traumatized. Dane looked at what he had done and shook his head. He mumbled something incoherent. But spoke up then.

"I'm going to go wash off," he said. And left.

* * *

A/N:_ If you're wondering about Dane's motive, then stay tuned! We will get an understanding as to why Dane hates Hiccup._

_Thanks to my beta's! Till next time, my ever faithful, readers! Please, leave a review! I love all the feedback you guys are giving me! _


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